Two More Years of This
by genericnamehere
Summary: In order to save money in his third year of college America answers an ad looking for roommates. He ends up in a rather nice apartment just off campus with an odd collection of roommates. England, Russia, and Estonia. Various pairings ensue.
1. Chapter 1

Alfred set the last box of his stuff on his bed and stretched his hands over his head. He turned to look at his new roommate, Arthur Kirkland, who had helped him carry in a few boxes.

"Thanks again. I can't believe how much cheaper this is than living on campus." Arthur rolled his eyes as he set down the laundry basket.

"You could have at least done some of the bloody laundry before you moved in. You never told me you were a slob." He turned to head out of the room. "Just keep the mess behind your door, would you?"

Alfred laughed a bit and started pulling everything out of his boxes. He had really lucked out. When he got his bill from the school, they had raised their tuition _again,_ and it was going to be a real strain on his parents to pay for both him and his brother to go. His brother, Matthew, pointed out that they could save a lot money by getting an off campus apartment. All the apartments in town were taken, but they had managed to find spaces in rooms across from each other. Thank God. He needed his brother's help on his French homework. Language requirements were so stupid.

Arthur poked his head in the door again, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"By the way, the others will be back from the grocery soon. Don't forget to introduce yourself." Before Alfred could say anything, he was gone again. Well, he certainly was pleasant, wasn't he?

Alfred sighed and turned on his iPod, losing himself in the music while he unpacked. When he finally finished, he was surprised to look out his window and see that it had gotten dark. His stomach growled, confirming it was dinner time, and he walked out of his room.

As soon as he did, his nose was assaulted with the worst smell he had ever experienced. One of his other roommates was watching TV, apparently unphased by the smell.

"What is that?" The other man looked over.

"Oh, it is Arthur's turn to cook, da? Your turn is tomorrow. We picked up basic things, but if you need something special, you're on your own." Alfred nodded a bit and walked over, sitting beside him on the couch. There was a rerun of an old sitcom on.

"I'm Alfred, by the way. Alfred Jones. And you are?" The other glanced over him and smiled slightly, though it was hard to tell with the scarf he was wearing blocking it.

"Ivan Braginski." He turned his head to look over the couch in the direction of their rooms and called out, "Eduard! Get off your computer for a second and meet Alfred!" There was silence, but a moment later the door opened and his last roommate walked out of the dark room. Alfred smiled.

"Oh hey! We were in Computer Science together last year! Thanks for your help with the hangman program. I never would have figured out I just had a misspelled word in there. You really saved my grade." Eduard nodded a bit and walked out to the kitchen. Ivan nudged Alfred's shoulder.

"You already know each other?" Alfred nodded. "Yeah, we had a class together." Ivan nodded and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the show together.

Alfred thought that he was in for a pretty good year. He got along with his roommates well enough. It wasn't until Arthur walked out and handed him a plate of what was supposed to be food that he began to have second thoughts. He wondered how his brother was faring across the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew put the stuffed polar bear on top of his pillow and looked around his room. It hadn't taken as long as he thought it would to put everything away. He looked at the clock on his desk. It was a little after one. He wondered if his brother had gotten to his apartment yet. Maybe he'd stop by and see him later.

He walked out into the living room and sat on the couch. He had caught Francis on his way out when he arrived. He said he was on his way to the bookstore and he would be back soon to help him unpack. He had also said the others were still asleep, but would help him when they woke up. That was a few hours ago. Francis was still gone, and the other roommates were still asleep.

His stomach growled and he sighed, looking over at the kitchen. He didn't want to just start looking through the fridge. He hadn't contributed anything to it. A door open and someone shuffled out of the room. There was a bird chirping from its perch on his head.

"Come on, Gilbird. It's too early in the morning for the 'We're Awesome' song. What should we have for--" He cut off as he finally opened his eyes and noticed Matthew sitting on the couch. "Who the hell are you?"

Matthew blinked. Francis told his roommates he was moving in, hadn't he?

"Oh. I-I'm Matthew Williams. Your new roommate?" He smiled weakly as the other man stared him down. After a minute, he grinned.

"Oh right! You're Arthur's replacement! You're not planning on hooking up with Francis, are you? Man, what a pain that all was." Matthew blinked a few times and shook his head.

"No?" He blinked as his roommate was suddenly sitting beside him with a hand around his shoulder and blushed a bit. He was still walking around in just his boxers!

"Great! Oh, I'm Gilbert, by the way. You already met Francis, and the lazy ass that's still sleeping is Antonio." Matthew nodded a bit, not bothering to mention that he had just woken up himself. Instead, he glanced at the hand on his shoulder then looked back up at the bird on top of Gilbert's head.

"And that's Gilbird?" The bird chirped and Gilbert blinked.

"Yeah! Wow, how did you know? Are you one of those weird ESPN types? That's kinda awesome, I guess." Matthew blinked again. Before he could try to give any reply, Francis walked back into the apartment, dropping his bags with a loud thud.

"Oh, Mathieu! I see you have met Gilbert." Francis's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in their position on the couch. "Have you met Antonio yet? I will go wake him for you." He went into what Matthew assumed was Antonio's room and Matthew winced slightly as he heard a yell.

"Dammit! Must you always jump on me? Can't you find a normal way to wake someone up?"

"But this is so much more fun!"

Matthew sighed, not noticing Gilbert staring at him as Gilbird jumped on his head. This was going to be an interesting year.


	3. Chapter 3

Alfred set down his tray and sat down across from his brother. Matthew looked up as he took a bite of his fry. He noted that he looked more tired than usual. Had he not gotten a lot of sleep last night? That wasn't like him.

"So, how's your apartment, Mattie? My roommate can't work worth a damn, but we all seem to get along alright. They seem to keep to themselves a lot. It was pretty quiet." Matthew sighed as he picked up another fry.

"It's…interesting. Never a dull moment. Except when they are sleeping, anyway. I think they still are." Alfred raised a brow.

"It's one in the afternoon and they're sleeping? Don't they have classes?" Matthew nodded.

"Apparently they took afternoon classes." Alfred nodded as he started eating his burger. He was the only one in his apartment that didn't have class at 8:30 in the morning. He didn't understand how they could all wake up so early. He had trouble just getting up for his 10:30 class that morning. He hadn't even been up too late.

"So, tell me about them. Your roommates, I mean. Ivan was saying there was some nasty breakup between Arthur - oh, they're two of mine, and Francis? Arthur won't talk about it though." Matthew sighed.

"They sleep late, they insult each other all day, they're obnoxious, stay up late playing video games loudly, and I think all three of them are trying to sleep with me." Alfred snickered as he ate.

"Well, I guess I can't blame them. If you weren't my brother, I'd probably try, too." Matthew rolled his eyes.

"What will poor Natalya say when she finds out her boyfriend is secretly lusting over his half-brother?" Alfred swallowed and sighed a bit, putting down his burger. Right. He hadn't mentioned that to him yet.

"She broke up with me last week. Said that I was nothing like her brother and it was obvious that I, uh, wasn't interested in women. Which is bullshit!" Matthew blinked a few times.

"She did? Wow, I'm sorry. You should have…" He trailed off looking up at something behind Alfred. He looked over his shoulder and was met with someone's shirt. He looked up and smiled.

"Oh, hey Ivan! You go to lunch now, too? Why don't you sit with us. This is my brother, Matthew." He looked at Matthew. "This is one of my new roommates, Ivan." Matthew nodded and waved a bit as Ivan took the seat beside Alfred.

"I am not interrupting anything, am I?" Alfred shook his head.

"Nah. We were just talking about Matthew's roommates." Matthew looked down at his fries, dipping another one in his gravy.

"Can't we just leave it at them being crazy?" Alfred laughed a bit. He'd have to meet Matthew's roommates someday, and introduce him to the rest of his own.


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew sighed as he walked back to his apartment. Maybe Natalya had been onto something, telling him he obviously didn't like women. As soon as Ivan came, Alfred had started stealing his fries, even though he had plenty of his own. He had ended up sitting fairly close to his roommate, too. Maybe he was just over analyzing things, but it seemed like flirting to Matthew.

Matthew decided not to go along on Alfred and Ivan's trip to the food store. If his brother was trying to pursue a relationship, whether he realized he was or not, then he didn't want to interfere with that.

As it was, Alfred told him to invite his roommates over for dinner, since he was cooking. He wasn't sure he wanted to subject them to his idea of a hamburger yet, but he agreed anyway.

He walked into the apartment and blinked as a bird flew over, perching itself on his head, twittering happily. He glanced up, cross-eyed. It was Gilbird, which could only mean...

"Wow, Matt! He really likes you, huh? He doesn't do that to anyone but me! It's a sign! You obviously should go to bed with me tonight." Matthew rolled his eyes as he walked past Gilbert to his room, tossing his bag inside.

"Normal people try to soften the blow with a date first. And they ask wearing more than their boxers. Don't you have a class soon?" He flopped on the couch, hoping it would startle Gilbird off his head, but instead the bird dug its claws in more and started pulling his hair into a knotty mess of nest. Gilbert flopped down beside him on the couch and moved his arm around his shoulder.

"I can skip it. Francis and Antonio are at their classes. It's just the two of us here. We could--" Matthew cut him off, standing quickly and digging his phone out of his pocket.

"Oh, that's right! My brother is cooking dinner at his apartment tonight and invited to come over, too! Do you want to go?" Gilbert grinned.

"Oh, asking me to be your dinner date? How could I say no?" Matthew rolled his eyes. He had said 'us' to be all inclusive. As in the other two were invited. "So where's your brother's apartment?" Matthew smiled.

"Actually, he's in the room right across the...hall..." Matthew blinked as Gilbert's expression darkened. His roommate removed his arm from his shoulder and stood quickly, turning to head to his room.

"Not going." Matthew frowned as he watched him go. Was the break-up that bad? What had happened between Francis and Arthur? Maybe he could find out when he went to dinner tonight.

He went to his room, with Gilbird still chirping with glee on his head. How did Gilbert manage to get anything done with this thing? He sighed as he pulled out his French homework.

Oh. No wonder Alfred wanted him to come eat dinner tonight. He wanted to copy his homework.


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur frowned a bit as he helped Alfred pound the burger meat into patties.

"So, who was it you said that you invited to dinner again?" Alfred looked over and smiled brightly as he sliced tomatoes.

"Oh! My brother, Mattie. I told you about him yesterday, remember? He's in the room across from ours. He was talking about his roommates at lunch, so I told him to invite them, too." Arthur froze beside him and Alfred frowned. "I mean, it's only 4 extra people, and this is a pretty swank apartment. I don't think there will be any crowding or anything."

Behind them, Ivan walked into the room with Eduard, discussing a class assignment on their way to the fridge. They fell quiet as they walked into the room and looked over at the two. Arthur's hands were white-knuckled, gripping the counter, and Alfred was watching him as he sliced tomatoes.

"You invited his roommates from across the hall. The room _right_ across from ours?" Alfred nodded.

"Uh, yeah? Is that a- hey!" He looked over at Ivan who had taken the hand holding the knife, pulling it away from the cutting board. "What gives?" Ivan sighed, pointing.

"You nearly cut your fingers off, Alfred. You have to be more careful." Alfred flushed a bit, pulling his hand back and looked back to what he was doing. "Yeah, yeah. I know." He jumped, nearly cutting his fingers off anyway when Arthur slammed his hands down on the counter beside him.

"Why would you invite that frog and his loser friends here for dinner? Are you some kind of an idiot?!" Alfred blinked a few times, stunned.

"What's wrong with-- oh right. You were dating that Francis guy, weren't you? Well...I can't just take it back now! That's rude!" Arthur scowled and turned, heading out of the kitchen. Alfred followed after him. "Oh, come on, Artie! This is your chance to be the bigger-!" He cut off as Arthur went into his room and slammed the door in his face. "...man." He sighed as there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Eduard nodded a bit to Alfred as he walked over, opening the door. Matthew waved a bit.

"Uhm, hi. Is this Alfred's apartment?" Eduard smiled.

"You must be his brother, Matthew. He talks about you all the time." He looked past Matthew to where Antonio and Gilbert were pulling Francis out of their room.

"And those must be your roommates. Can I assume the one fighting for his life is Francis?" Matthew sighed and nodded.

"Mattie!" Eduard quickly moved out of the way as Alfred hurried over, throwing his arms around his brother. "You came! And you brought your French homework? Well, if you needed help, you should have just said so! We can work on it after we eat." Matthew rolled his eyes and nodded as he shoved Alfred off him.

"Yeah yeah." He pushed Alfred back into the room as he walked in, followed by his roommates. Eduard watched, amused, as he closed the door behind them. "So these three are Gilbert, Antonio, and Francis; my roommates." Alfred nodded.

"Well, you met Ivan at lunch." He motioned to Ivan, who waved from where he was standing in the kitchen doorway, sipping his drink as he watched. "And this is Eduard. Remember when I told you about the guy that totally saved my life last year?" Matthew nodded a bit. "That's him." Eduard flushed a bit, waving a hand.

"It was nothing really. I'm sure you would have figured it out shortly afterward on your own." Alfred patted his shoulder as he turned to head back to the kitchen.

"Make yourselves comfortable!" Ivan moved aside, letting him in and followed him over.

"Do you need help since Arthur has locked himself away for the evening?" Alfred smiled.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks." Ivan nodded and picked up where Arthur had left off making patties. Sounds of conversation wafted into the room and Alfred relaxed. He was starting to get a bit worried that this wouldn't work out as well as he'd hoped it would. They worked with a comfortable silence until an arm suddenly draped itself around Alfred's shoulders.

"So, you're Matt's brother, huh? I don't know how I missed it before, but it's so obvious now that I've seen you two together." Alfred stiffened under the arm and glanced over at who it was attached to. He was distracted, however, by the bird that jumped on his head, twittering as it started to pull on the stubborn cowlick he had long since given up on.

"H-hey! Quit it!" Alfred swung his arm towards his head, not noticing which hand he was using, but was stopped by Ivan grabbing his wrist again.

"There are better ways to get rid of birds than suicide." Beside him, the other laughed and reached his free hand over, taking the bird away.

"That's Gilbird. And I'm Gilbert." He leaned in a bit closer. "Nice to meet you." Alfred smiled weakly and leaned back a little. Behind him, Ivan scowled at Gilbert, who only smirked in return.


	6. Chapter 6

Matthew sighed as he glanced in the kitchen, watching Gilbert and Ivan in their silent battle over Alfred. He thought he was annoyed with Gilbert's constant advances on him, but now he wasn't so sure. It shouldn't bother him so much that he was forgotten in favor of his brother again. Not when Antonio was hanging all over his shoulder while they talked with Eduard.

"Rosbif! You aren't even going to be a proper host and greet your guests? I see you still have that stick rammed up your ass. Are you sad that it isn't mine anymore?" He rolled his eyes as Francis taunted Arthur through what he assumed was his door. It must have been, since the other doors were all at least slightly open.

"You are no guest of mine and you certainly aren't welcome here, frog!" Antonio shook his head and leaned in conspiratorially.

"Notice how he said nothing about missing Francis up his ass." Eduard sputtered a bit, flustered.

"That's a little crude, don't you think? Arthur has a little more class than that." Antonio's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What was that? You're saying we're a bunch of pigs?" Matthew panicked, looking over at the kitchen. Where was his brother's stupid hero complex when he needed it? Oh right. It was being molested by Gilbert and Ivan.

"Well, I certainly never said that, but—" Matthew let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as everyone walked out of the kitchen, holding plates.

"Dinnertime! Eat up! There's enough for everybody!" Alfred grinned and handed Matthew a plate, then walked over to Arthur's room, raising a brow at Francis. Francis just smirked, blowing him a kiss before he went to the couch, flopping into the seat on the other side of Matthew.

"Oh, don't hog dear Mathieu all to yourself! You have to remember to share him." Matthew flushed a bit as Francis's arm joined Antonio's over his shoulders. To make the situation more uncomfortable, Gilbird flew over, landing on his head, hopping around a bit before hopping down onto his plate. Gilbert laughed as he sat on the table in front of Matthew, effectively blocking his view of the TV he wasn't watching.

"I think he wants some of your burger." Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Really? I wonder what gave that away." He looked down at where Gilbird was, in fact, eating his burger. He sighed, setting the plate down, with Gilbird still on it, besides Gilbert on the table. Behind him, Alfred knocked on Arthur's door.

"Hey, Artie. I know you're mad I invited your ex over, but you can at least eat something. You don't even have to come out. Just open the door and grab the plate, right?" Matthew wasn't watching, but he heard Arthur's door open and there was a murmured conversation between the two that he couldn't quite follow. He looked over and saw both Ivan and Eduard frowning as they watched. Why was the entire world in love with his brother?

Alright. He might have had two guys hanging all over him at the moment, and Gilbert's attention had returned solely to him, but that was beside the point.

"So Matthew, what did you say your major was again?" He blinked and looked over at Eduard, whose attention had also returned to him when Alfred disappeared into the kitchen again. Ivan was no longer standing beside him, so he assumed he had followed Alfred. How long would it take Alfred to realize that his roommate was hopelessly in love with him? Probably about as long as it would take to realize this one was, too.

"Oh, well. I want to work for the United Nations, I think. So I'm doing a double major of Global Affairs and French." Francis cooed beside him, pinching his cheek.

"Perhaps I can help you study! And, of course, I'll give you special lessons in French culture." Matthew groaned a bit as Eduard fixed a glare on Francis. He wasn't so sure he wanted those lessons.


	7. Chapter 7

Two More Years 7

"So then he finally comes out of his room, and he just spent the whole night glaring at the three of us. No words. No accusations. No warnings not to invite them over again, just silence." Alfred recanted the rest of the evening to his brother as they left their French class together.

Matthew nodded as he listened. "I wonder what happened between them. I tried asking my roommates, but they get closed off and leave the room when I do."

Alfred shook his head. "The whole thing is stupid. I mean, Nat broke up with me and you don't see me being a ...a…a priss or whatever…about it! Why the hell would you get an apartment across from your ex if you didn't want to see him at all?"

Matthew nodded again as they moved down the street to their apartment building. "It does seem strange."

"You know what I think?" Alfred nodded to himself as the thought hit him. It was so obvious, even to him! "I think that Arthur is still in love or like or whatever it was with Francis. Why else would he have locked himself in the room all night? He didn't want Francis to see how badly he still wants him!"

Matthew frowned slightly. "He may have just been trying to avoid an uncomfortable atmosphere. How long ago did they break up? It couldn't have been too long."

Alfred shrugged. "Ivan and Eduard are just as clueless about the whole thing as I am. You're going to have to do the detective work for us." He patted his brother on the back. "Your roommates are obviously hot on you. Use it to your advantage. Be sexy and get information. It's not like you have to try that hard."He chuckled as Matthew groaned and unlocked the door to the building, letting him in first.

"Gee, thanks Al. I feel so much better knowing that you think I am hot, too." He decided to ignore the sarcasm and pushed Matthew out of the doorway into the building, so he could get inside. He moved over the elevator and waited for it to come down to them.

"Did you see my roommates last night? They were all over you. How could you not realize such a fundamental fact about yourself?" He failed to notice the incredulous look Matthew gave him as they got onto the elevator.

"It was really just Eduard, and he seemed like he was more annoyed that he kept getting interrupted when he was trying to speak to me. You seem to be hitting it off pretty well with Ivan, though." Alfred nodded a bit.

"Yeah, we became pretty fast friends. I wonder how I went two years without meeting him. Then again, he seems to keep to himself for the most part." He raised a brow at Matthew when he heard him sigh. What was his problem? Had he missed something? Was he trying to hint at anything? Oh. OH. "Do you want me to hook you up?" He smirked as Matthew stiffened and then turned to stare at him. That must have been it! He was so good at the whole reading people thing. "Well, I don't think he floats that way, but I'll put in a good word for you, okay?"

Matthew didn't get a chance to reply. As soon as the elevator doors opened on their floor, they were met by angry yelling as it reverberated down the halls.

"I don't care who invites you over! You're not bloody welcome in my apartment!"

"That's just rude. It's no wonder you can't get a date with such an ugly personality!"

Alfred looked at Matthew, who shrugged. They rounded the corner to their hall and approached their bickering roommates. Arthur seemed to notice them, because he abruptly turned, heading back into his apartment and slamming the door shut behind him. Francis sighed, looking at the door a moment longer before turning and going into his own apartment. He, however, left the door open for Matthew. Matthew turned to Alfred and smiled weakly.

"I should go see if he's okay. I'll see you later, Al." Alfred nodded and waved, walking up to his own door, pulling out the key. Before he could finish fumbling with the lock, the door opened on its own.

"Ah, Alfred. I would not bother trying to get in. Arthur is kicking me out. He's on quite the powertrip, da?"

Alfred blinked, shrugging his bag off his shoulder and dropping it inside the door. "Because of that fight?"

Ivan nodded as he stepped out of the apartment. "It would seem so. Apparently they got back from their classes at the same time, and just started arguing. I had been taking a nap, so I only caught the tail end of it when they got particularly loud."

Alfred nodded as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well. I guess we should give him some time to settle down then."

Ivan nodded, shifting a bit. "Would you like to accompany me to get coffee while we wait?"

Alfred grinned. He loved coffee, and that would give him a great opportunity to bring up the prospect of asking Matthew on a date. "Sure! Let's go." He turned, heading back to the elevator. It was arriving on their floor again as he reached it and Eduard walked out. Alfred pushed him back onto the elevator as he and Ivan got on it. "Don't bother. Artie's on a rampage. Come get coffee with Ivan and me."

Eduard looked at Alfred then spared a glance over at Ivan. He seemed to waver a moment before nodded. "Alright. Not like I have anything better to do."

Alfred smiled as he pushed the button for the ground floor. At least his other two roommates were cool to hang out with.


	8. Chapter 8

Two More Years 8

Matthew flushed as he found himself face to chest in Francis' arms. All he had wanted to do was make sure that he was alright after his argument in the hall. He felt partially responsible, having extended the dinner invitation to him, after all.

"It's not like I wanted to break up with him, Mathieu." Matthew's ears perked up and he settled a little more in the hold. If sitting like this was going to get him the information his brother wanted, then he could bear to sit like this for a few more minutes.

"What happened between the two of you? I mean, you seem to hate each other now." Francis sighed above him.

"He will never admit it, but Arthur has a very possessive mentality. And, as you can see, I have a tendency to be very close with everyone. It had always been a sticking point for the two of us." Matthew nodded a bit, his cheek rubbing the satiny fabric of Francis' shirt. It was actually somewhat nice.

"So you broke up with him because of his suffocating jealousy? But that doesn't explain everyone's reactions." Matthew's brow furrowed. There was more to this. He was sure of it. He felt, more than he heard, Francis hesitate.

"Well, yes. It all came to a head last semester. We were at a party. I forget where. I think it was being thrown by a fraternity, and there was quite a bit of drinking." Matthew nodded as he listened. That did tend to happen at frat parties. He'd dragged Al back from enough of them.

"Did something happen?" Francis chuckled at the innocent question and one of his hands moved to Matthew's hair, stroking it thoughtfully.

"A lot of things did. We were both at fault, really. I think it would be better to leave it at we were drunk. I did things I shouldn't have. He did things he shouldn't have. The relationship ended in a way neither of us was satisfied with. But for our own stubborn refusals to admit where we were wrong, we would probably still be together today." Matthew frowned. That was such a cop-out answer. He wasn't sure what it was today, but once again he found himself unable to say as much before the door to the apartment opened and Gilbird flew in, chirping happily. Of course he was followed a second later by Gilbert.

"Aw, Matt! You chose him over me? Not cool!" Matthew blinked, pulling himself off of Francis and looking over.

"I don't recall agreeing to go out with any of you." He sighed as he moved to sit up in his seat, missing the pout as he pulled out of Francis' arms. "I'm really not interested."

Gilbert moved to the other side of him. "Not even a little? A small, itty bitty little bit?"

Matthew sighed as he stood, heading for his room. "Not even the most miniscule fraction of a bit. Sorry." He glanced back as he opened the door and sighed, looking at the forlorn expression on his roommates' faces. They were really pathetic sometimes. "…But I guess I could give it a try anyway. Let's go to the movies tomorrow night." He held up his hand as Gilbert jumped up and ran over to hug him. "But! It's going to be a double date with my brother."

What was he thinking? There was no way that Alfred would agree to this. He wasn't dating anyone, and he hated to do the desperate scramble to get a date' thing. Gilbert sighed, but nodded in agreement to the terms.

Matthew nodded and went into his room, sitting at his computer. He'd have to have a good sell on this movie thing if he was going to get Alfred to go. That meant presenting it as anything but a date, and setting himself up for a late night assault on his door. He had to find a horror movie. He scrolled through the listings, but so far it was a lot of chick flicks. There was 'Super Action Action Heroes', but he was pretty sure they were well beyond the age group that was intended for. Finally his eyes fell on one. 'Hack Slash 4: The Night of a Thousand Kills.' Not only was it a horror movie, but it was one that Alfred had been quite vocal about wanting to see. Matthew knew for a fact that he hadn't had the chance to see it yet. Now he just had to get him there.

He pulled out his phone, texting his brother. _Hey Al. You doing anything tomorrow night?_

He moved onto the order screen for the tickets to order them. It was annoying that he was going to have to pay for all the tickets for this to work, but he'd just cut back on the imported maple syrup for food shopping trips. He didn't really need to eat it on everything. It just made everything taste better. A second later his phone buzzed across the screen and he looked at it, smiling when he saw the reply.

_Not yet. Why? What are we doing?_ He replied quickly, setting his plan into motion.

_I won 4 tickets to go to the movies, and recalled you wanted to see Hack Slash 4. Come with?_ He didn't even bother setting his phone down. He knew it would only be a matter of seconds before he got the reply. Sure enough, before he could think it was a waste of time to move, the phone buzzed again.

_ Are you kidding? Of course I do!_ Matthew nodded to himself and sent one last reply.

_Be here at 6. I have an extra ticket, so bring a friend._ He put his phone done and moved over to his bed, pulling a textbook out of his bag. His phone vibrated with another response, but he knew it was just a confirmation. He settled in for the rest of the night, doing his homework quietly.


	9. Chapter 9

Two More Years 9

Alfred found a table in the already crowded cafeteria and sat down, frowning thoughtfully. Finding someone that was free to go to the movies on such short notice was proving to be difficult. Ivan had wanted to go, but then received an apparently terrifying text message from his sister informing him that she would be visiting that evening. Alfred thought the movies were a perfect excuse to get out of it, since it obviously horrified him. Ivan didn't seem to think so though. _Nothing is the perfect excuse with her._ Alfred was pretty sure that family had some issues.

It also meant he really needed to find someone to go with him. He had no desire to meet this fear-inducing relative of Ivan's anytime soon.

Eddie was out, too. He couldn't blame him for it though. He had a computer science lab tonight, and that was way more important than the best movie ever. It really was. He wasn't bitter about that at all.

Artie was still all bristled at him for the dinner thing the other day, so he couldn't ask him. Well, maybe he could, actually. That would be a good show of no hard feelings, right? He pulled out his phone and started looking for Arthur's number to see if he was free. There was a clank as a tray was placed down on the table across from him and he glanced up.

"Hey Mattie. What's up? Who else was coming to the movies with us tonight?" He blinked as Matthew sighed, stabbing weakly at his salad. Was that a bad topic?

"Gilbert. One of my roommates." Alfred nodded a bit. Roommates. Oh! That reminded him of the plan. He leaned in, lowering his voice.

"So, were you able to charm anything out of them?" Matthew flushed a bit and Alfred blinked. He'd really done it? He was kidding about the seducing information thing.

"Francis is touchy feely and Arthur is possessive and jealous. There was alcohol involved the night of the breakup and they are both too stubborn to admit that it was both their fault it happened. That's all I know." Alfred blinked. That was just vague enough to leave him with still no idea of what had happened.

"Right. Okay then." He looked up as Gilbert walked by with Antonio, bringing their trays to the disposal. He stopped and veered over to the brothers.

"Hey Matt! I'm really looking forward to our date later." He waved a bit to Alfred, then leaned down pressing a kiss to Matthew's cheek before leaving with Antonio. Alfred stared at Matthew as he watched the two leave.

"You're using me as a date buffer, aren't you?" It only took a slight nod from Matthew for Alfred to realize what had almost happened to him.

"Oh come on! I have been asking guys to come watch the movie with me all day! If I knew it was a date, I would have been trying to get a chick to come with me!" He crossed his arms. It would have been easier, too. "Why can't you just go on your date without me."

Matthew sighed. "Because I don't really want to go on a date. I was hoping if you showed up, and weren't treating it like a date or anything, he'd get the idea without having to actually turn him down." Alfred stared at Matthew for a moment as he tried to let all of it sink in.

"Mattie…you can be a real idiot sometimes. Did you know that? And everyone says I'm the dumb one." He drummed his fingers on the table, thoughts racing a mile a minute. "Alright. You're my brother, and I got to watch out for you, so I won't back out on you. I'll call in a favor. And we're going to take advantage of this. From what I can tell, something stupid happened when Francis and Arthur were drunk. They broke up because of it. They both know that it was a stupid reason to break up, but don't want to admit it. So, instead, they play up hating each other so they don't have to face their mistake. We're going to get Gilbert to tell us what that is if it kills us."

Matthew nodded and Alfred picked up his phone again, going through his contacts list. When he found the number he was looking for he dialed, leaning his elbow on the table as he waited for an answer. Soon enough, a female voice came over the speaker.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lizzie! How've you been! I haven't seen you yet this semester." He smiled at Matthew across the table.

"Yeah, well. It's been busy. You sound like you're doing great though. I was a bit worried, since I heard that Nat broke up with you." He waved a hand of dismissal, then blinked, putting his hand down as he remembered she couldn't see.

"It's all in the past. What's more important is the present. Are you doing anything tonight?" He could hear her shifting through the pages of her planner.

"I'm free. Why? What stupid plan have you come up with this time? I'm not going to keep bailing you out, Alfie." He laughed weakly.

"Elizabeta, you wound me with your shallow accusations. Here I am, trying to help my dear, wonderful, adorable brother Matthew, and you're just brushing me off." Across from him, Matthew rolled his eyes. He picked up a piece of broccoli from his salad and threw it at him. He had no right to laugh when he was saving his ass!

"Of course. My deepest and most sincere apologies _Alfred_. And pray tell, what are we doing to help our darling Matthew?" She could be so sarcastic sometimes. It was one of the things he loved about her. He dodged a carrot stick attack from the ungrateful brat sitting across from him.

"You are coming to the movies as my date, and serving as a buffer with me on his don't want it to be a date." There was silence and Alfred was afraid she'd say no.

"What movie are we seeing? I'll just come to your apartment after class. I haven't seen it yet." He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd held as he flicked a mushroom. He smirked when it hit its target, square between Matthew's eyes.

"Hack Slash 4! Ain't that great?" He blinked as the phone suddenly went dead in his ear. "Lizzie. LizLiz? Lizzles that sizzles?" The phone beeped loudly in his ear from an incoming text and he winced as he pulled it away to read it.

_When you start screaming and crying during the movie, you're holding Matt's arm. I'm pretending I don't know you._ Oh come on. That only happened once.


	10. Chapter 10

Two More Years 10

When Matthew realized that Alfred was asking Elizabeta to be his "date" to the movie that night, he was relieved. She had a tendency to get along with just about everyone. However, now that she was face to face with Gilbert, he was having second thoughts.

"Alright, enough schmoozing in the hall. Let's get going so we can get to the good part: ignoring the movie." Matthew flushed as he caught the implication. He lifted his gaze when he heard Elizabeta scoff.

"You are such a pig. You are going on a double date. You don't just sit there making out. It's gross!" This wasn't going to end well. Sure enough, Gilbert hit the serve and returned it.

"Oh, like you weren't going to be doing the same thing with – what did you call him? Oh right. Alfie." Matthew looked over at Alfred, who was looking back and forth, much like he was watching the same verbal tennis Matthew was imagining.

"Which is another thing. Don't you have any sense of shame? Of propriety? You're on a date with Matt, but you've spent the whole five minutes we've been standing here with small talk ogling his brother!" Matthew's head shot up and he was pretty sure he was a near perfect reflection of the raised brows his brother was sporting. How had he missed that? Then again, it might have been the hand working its way up and down his back the whole time that distracted him from it. Just what was Gilbert thinking? He glanced at Alfred again. To be honest, he was surprised that Alfred even got changed, dressed to go on a date.

"I was not! He was talking, and I was being a date by listening to Matt's brother." Matthew sighed. This was going nowhere fast and they had to get to the theater. He'd rather not have wasted all that money on tickets.

"Oh were you? Then what was he saying?" Alfred was motioning to Matthew in his periphery and he glanced over. His thumb was gesturing to the elevator. He nodded slightly and the two turned, heading down the hall. Their dates continued bickering behind them.

"Well. This should be interesting. Have I mentioned that you owe me for this?"

Matthew sighed and shook his head. He should have known. "You hadn't mentioned. And aside from tickets to the movie you've been dying to get nightmares from, what else is it you want from me?" He blinked as Alfred gave him an almost childish grin.

"A big tub of popcorn and the largest soda they have." Matthew nodded his agreement to the terms as the elevator arrived. He was definitely going to spend the next day looking for student employment.

Of course, he should have known that big tub of popcorn would get thrown during the movie. At least Elizabeta had the insight to take the soda away from him, securing it in the holder of her seat. He also had to hand it to his brother. Who knew that he would be an effective cock block without even trying? Every time Gilbert shifted closer, his warm breath on Matthew's neck sending chills down his spine, Alfred would scream over something on the screen, grabbing Matthew's arm and pulling him away. This resulted in Matthew feeling Gilbert's heated glare as he tried to beam it through his skull to Alfred. Why had he agreed to do this again?

"Oh man! That movie was so scary; it was awesome! The zombie ninjas had chainsaw katanas, Mattie. Chainsaws! I don't even know how they could make something like that!" Matthew rolled his eyes at his brother's antics as he picked popcorn out of his hair, leaving the theater.

"I wouldn't know. Someone kept screaming like a little baby the whole time. It was kinda hard to pay attention." There was a disgruntled sneer in Gilbert's tone and Matthew was pretty sure he wasn't just joking.

"Oh shut up! You didn't even want to watch the movie! What happened to ignoring it?" Alfred really had no clue that he had made that impossible.

"Oh Alfie. He tried to, he really did. But every time the scene changed you were pulling poor Matt practically into your lap." Matthew sighed as he saw Alfred cringe. He could try telling their friends that this was actually a lot better than he used to be, but he doubted they would believe him anyway.

Gilbert scoffed. "Matt might as well have just sat in his lap the whole time and given him something else to watch. He probably would have enjoyed that more." Matthew blinked a few times. Wait, where was this conversation going? He looked over at Alfred, who seemed like he had been about to retort but the comment killed his mind. Just what was he imagining? It would have to fall to him to divert this conversation away from its current destination.

"I don't think—"

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh you would have enjoyed that, wouldn't you?"

"We're really not—"

Gilbert cut him off. "Who wouldn't? Haven't you been checking them out all night? I know you've been thinking it. "

"And he's my—"

Elizabeth flushed. "Oh please. They're my friends! I can't picture them doing that with me! It would just be weird."

Matthew sighed. There was something wrong about this whole conversation and he couldn't quite place it. It might have had something to do with them talking about Alfred and him like they weren't even there.

"Who said anything about you doing it with them? I was talking about just the two of them. But now that you're mentioning it, that _would_ be a nice sandwich to be a part of, wouldn't it?"

Matthew glanced over at Alfred. He looked like his brain had short circuited, leaked out his ears, and left a potato in its place to try and process what was happening. He reached over, grabbing his brother's hand, leading him away from the newly formed friendship.

He wasn't sure how he felt knowing that they were bonding over sexual fantasies involving him with Alfred.


	11. Chapter 11

Two More Years 11

When he had said they would do whatever it took to get information out of Gilbert, this wasn't what he had anticipated having to do for it. Fabric rustled under his touch as he finished unbuttoning the shirt, grabbed it in his hands, and pulled it off Matthew's shoulders, revealing the lightly tanned, smooth skin beneath. He lifted his gaze from where he'd locked it on a shoulder to glazed over eyes watching his every move.

He glanced over his shoulder at the one orchestrating everything. Gilbert was looking quite pleased with himself, already divested of any clothes, fingers trailing absently over what was a considerable length. Alfred felt himself flush as he watched, transfixed by the motions of those digits, up and down, teasing along the prominent vein underneath the shaft. A slight tug on his hair drew his attention back to the task at hand. Every ounce, every fiber of his being was screaming at him that this was wrong. He knew it was. He shouldn't be here, naked as the day he was born; eyes drinking in the sight of Matthew as he slowly removed each article of clothing.

His hands trailed down Matthew's sides until his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his jeans. He gave a light tug and Matthew's hands quickly moved, fumbling to undo the button that was leaving the confining article in place. Alfred smiled softly and strained to lean up towards him. Matthew seemed to realize what he wanted, because he shifted downwards, pressing his lips against Alfred's own. They were warm and soft, not dry or chapped at all. Someone moaned, and it took him a moment to realize it was himself as he parted his lips, tongue darting out and taking a teasing lap at Matthew's.

Matthew's lips gave way easily, but rather than diving in eagerly, Alfred shifted back down, leaving a wet trail of kisses down his neck. Matthew gasped, and he felt his whole body twitching in response. He tugged at the jeans again. This time he met with little resistance and he pulled back to slide them off Matthew's legs, tossing them aside. There was only a thin layer of fabric between him and his brother. His stomach churned slightly. He shouldn't be enjoying this as much as he was.

"Okay, Alfie." Gilbert's breath tickled his ear. "Now just take off the boxers, and for giving me such a nice show, I'll tell you how the fight started." Something warm bumped between his cheeks, and he clenched them tightly as a shudder raked up and down his spine. His tongue was a dry lump in his mouth and he tried to swallow, but his throat was blocked with lead.

"Al…just do it…" He looked up at Matthew again, who was lifting his hips towards him slightly. Alfred was getting drunk off the look in Matthew's eyes. Was that lust for him always there? His hands slid over the fabric, palming at the erect length they concealed. His hand felt like it weighed a ton as he encompassed Matthew, giving a slow, measured jerk, eyes flicking upwards to watch Matthew's head roll back as his mouth fell open.

Warm hands found Alfred's hips, massaging encouraging circles into his skin, coaxing him to do the act. iYou wanted to know./i It was taunting him. One of the hands reached around front, Gilbert's body attaching itself to his from behind as those languid digits from before wrapped around him.

There was a crash to the left, causing all three of them to turn, startled. Lizzie dropped the camera she had been filming them with to jump out of the way, pulling a frying pan out from under her skirt as a chainsaw revved in the distance. Seconds later, the wall exploded towards them as an army of zombie ninjas poured into the room, wielding their chainsaw katanas. Naked, in a compromising position, and with no means of defense from an impending demise, Alfred did the only thing he could do: he screamed.

Arthur burst into the room, wielding a sword and an eye patch. Where did he get those from?

"Alfred!" He slashed at one of the zombies. "Wake up, Alfred!" Alfred blinked. Wake up? "You're having a nightmare!"

Alfred sat up with a jolt, breathing heavily as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him. A hand was on his shoulder and he was met with the concerned green eyes of his roommate. Ivan and Eduard were right over his shoulder, sharing the same concern. Arthur's green eyes narrowed then, once any concern for Alfred's wellbeing seemed to have dissipated.

"Honestly, what did you expect, going to see that blasted horror movie so late in the evening?" Alfred blinked a few times as Arthur shoved his shoulder roughly and stood. "You gave us a right fright, you know. Going on screaming like that after all that moaning you were doing. We thought someone had broken in the window or something!" Arthur scoffed at him and turned, stalking out of the room. Eduard followed after him. He mumbled something that Alfred couldn't quite make out, but it came off to the effect of classes in the morning. Ivan moved to the door with them and Alfred sighed, laying on his back. The door closed and he brought a hand up to cover his eyes.

"That was so wrong…" He jumped up as he felt a weight at his side again.

"What is so wrong with having a nightmare? Everyone does, da? It is just a natural occurrence." Alfred looked up at Ivan, startled. Why was he still here? "I stayed because it seemed like you could use someone with you." Had he said that outloud? "It seems you have lost any internal dialogue." Alfred stared at his roommate in the darkness of the room. Ivan smiled and shifted, moving an arm around his shoulders. "I will stay with you until you are able to sleep again. That way, you will have no more nightmares."

Alfred wanted to protest that he didn't have to. But it was the middle of the night. He was tired. It was dark, and Ivan was warm. He was asleep before he had a chance to.


	12. Chapter 12

Two More Years 12

A week. It had been a week since they had fled their double date; a week since Alfred had said more than a few awkward words to Matthew; a week since Gilbert started asking him if he'd be open to the prospect of a threesome with his brother.

It was also a week since he'd looked for work study. Matthew was now at his first day on the job at the student café waiting for his supervisor to come. It had already been a half hour since his shift started, and he was getting a bit concerned. Maybe he had misunderstood his schedule? He should probably clock out if he wasn't supposed to be working. His co-workers milled past him, making coffee and mochas and lattes and other things he didn't even know the name of. Whatever happened to regular, black coffee? There was a tap on his shoulder and Matthew jumped before turning. Antonio was standing there, the blue shirt he was wearing indicating that he was the student supervisor.

"Antonio? What are you doing up? It's hours from noon."

Antonio laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, I wake up, work here a few hours, and then go back to sleep. You're usually asleep when I come here, and then in class when I get back."

Matthew nodded as he listened. He supposed that made sense. "Oh. So, you're the supervisor? Why are you so late?"

Antonio grinned as he pulled a hand out of his pocket to rub the side of his nose with his thumb. It was almost cute. "I said I wake up. I never said I wake up on time."

Matthew was sure that he was just staring at Antonio. Oftentimes he had attributed the poor service at the café to the lackadaisical nature of students who didn't really want to be working. He could see now that there really was no point in trying when your superiors weren't even going to bother to get there on time.

"Ahaha…" Antonio shifted a bit under Matthew's stare. "We should start showing you the ropes, huh?"

When you are working in a café the size of a classroom, the ropes don't extend very far. Matthew soon found himself standing at the register, staring down someone he'd hoped to avoid the rest of his stay on campus. "H-hello Natalya. Have you decided what you'd like to order?" Great ball of omnipotent gases in the sky, she was as terrifying now as she was when Alfred was dating her. What had he seen in her again? He hadn't bothered remembering Alfred's reasoning, brushing it off at the time as being shallow.

"Coffee." He blinked out of his thoughts as he heard her speak. There was something about the way she spoke that just made her particularly chilling. It was quiet and eerie, all at the same time. His brother had been prone to nightmares during the brief period they had been dating. At first, he attributed it to Natalya's preference for horror movies – the hack and slash gore thrillers, in particular. Now that he was thinking about it, he wondered if it wasn't just talking to her every day.

"What size would you like? Do you want any milk or sugar?" He swallowed as she stared at him. "Medium, black. Got it. Anything else today?" A student ID was shoved in his face and he sighed as he swiped it, handing it back to her. She stared at him a moment longer before moving to the pick up counter. Alfred mentioned that she supposedly had siblings. He shuddered to think that they might be anything like her, and felt sorry for those unfortunate souls that knew them.

"Hard to believe she's related to Ivan, isn't it?" Matthew blinked, looking to see who had addressed him. Eduard was standing at the register, reading a news magazine. Was he going to meet every one of his brother's friends today? It just seemed to rub in the fact that Alfred hadn't been speaking to him, not even for French homework help. Hold everything. Backtrack. Related to Ivan?

"Related?"

Eduard nodded, turning the page before glancing up at the menu board. "Yes. Last night, you went to the movies, and she came to have dinner. I wish I had taken Alfred up on his offer to go instead of going to class. It was a traumatizing experience for everyone, including Ivan."

Matthew blinked a few times. He almost asked, but then decided he didn't want to know. "So, Ivan is Natalya's brother that she is so in love with, she broke up with Al?"

Eduard lifted his head at this. "Alfred is the foolish puppy?"

Matthew tried and failed to come up with the connection. "Come again?"

"Ivan asked if she was still seeing her boyfriend and when would he meet him. She said that she broke up him because he was tiring and childish, like a foolish puppy." Matthew thought about the description and nodded. Yes. That could be Alfred at times. Someone walked up behind Eduard and Matthew snapped back into a working mindset.

"So what can I get you?"

Eduard blinked a few times. "What? Oh. I'll have a venti mocha latte."

Matthew nodded and looked down at the register. "So…What size is venti?"


	13. Chapter 13

Two More Years 13

A week. It had been a week since they had fled their double date; a week since Alfred had said more than a few awkward words to Matthew; a week since Gilbert started asking him if he'd be open to the prospect of a threesome with his brother.

It had also been a week since he'd had that dream. No. It wasn't a dream. It was an absolute nightmare and the zombies had nothing to do with it. Why would he have a dream like that? Why would he dream about doing those kinds of things with guys; two guys, and one of them was his brother! Alfred knew he'd heard somewhere that dreams are a reflection of your subconscious mind. Did that mean he was gay, and trying to tell himself that? But then why would he be dreaming about his brother?

He didn't mean to avoid Matthew. He really didn't. It was just that anytime he saw him, or talked to him, he remembered how he looked in his dream. His eyes glazed over with lust and want. His lips parting, needy and hungry as he left Alfred in. His hips twitching in anticipa-

"Arrrgh!" He pulled at his hair, bidding the image away. No, no. no! He couldn't even think about his brother anymore!

"Monsieur Jones! Je comprends que le plus-que-parfait est difficile, mais je vous promets que vous allez vivre à travers il!" Alfred flushed as his classmates snickered around him. He felt Matthew's concerned gaze behind him boring into his back and groaned, letting his head fall forward to his book. What the hell was wrong with him?

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the professor finally dismissed the class. Alfred didn't bother shoving his books in his bag, gathering them in his arms instead and fleeing the room before Matthew could try to catch him. He hated doing this, but he couldn't be around him right now. He'd make it up to him somehow. Maybe he could talk to Ivan later about taking him out. Matthew could really use a decent date that wasn't Gilbert. Did he even likes guys? Alfred dropped his books as he stumbled on his way down the steps. He had just assumed Matthew was gay without a second thought, even though he had gone out with that cute Lilly girl a few times last semester. What the hell? It was like his mind was deciding _everyone _was gay now! His books were pressed into his chest and he looked up meeting Matthew's eyes.

"Care to tell me why you've been avoiding me?" Oh sweet loving on a pickle no. He panicked, hugging his books closer to his chest.

"I'm not gay, and I especially don't want to kiss you! We may have different mothers, but we share the same dad and that is just wrong and I'm not gay! It was just a weird dream!" He hurried around the bewildered Matthew. He had plans to go to Lizzie's dorm to play video games, thankfully. He needed the mindless activity for a few hours to try and straighten things out.

Not that it did anything to help him at all. He scowled as his character was killed off once again. A hand dropped in front of his face.

"You okay Alfie? You're not yourself at all. Something on your mind?" Alfred sighed, leaning back against the wall, his legs easily stretching over the side of the bed. He couldn't say he missed dorm life at all.

"A lot, Lizzie. I am so confused right now." She set her controller aside and laid out on the bed, resting her head in his lap as she looked up at him.

"About what?" Alfred sighed, letting his chin fall to his chest as he looked down at her. She _would_ be the nosy type.

"About me. You remember that date last week?" Elizabeta's nose scrunched up and she sat up again.

"We agreed not to talk about that. Honestly, Alfie, how could your brother want to go out with such a pathetic dweeb! You can tell he's never been laid before from the way he acts." Alfred blinked again. He hadn't noticed at all. She shook her head. "What confused you about that?"

Alfred sighed, chewing on his bottom lip. "I…had a…a…uhm…dream that night." He cleared his throat. "It was a, uh…well…I was doing…stuff…with Mattie…and Gilbert was making us do it…." Lizzie stared at him.

"….And? Why does that have you confused?" Alfred blinked.

"Well, dreams are your mind trying to tell you stuff, right? Have I completely been wrong about myself all this time? Am I gay? With the hots for my brother, of all people?" He lost sight of Lizzie, mind going into a panic. It wasn't until her lips were pressed against his that he broke through the fog in his mind.

A weight shifted into his lap, and his hands moved on instinct, taking hold of Lizzie's hips, fingers digging into the slight cushion of her thighs. So many times had he thought of doing this before, but she was dating Roderich for the longest time. On again, off again. He never got the chance. He pulled away just enough to nibble lightly on her bottom lips. Lizzie gasped under the attention, shifting closer against him. Before he could do anything, her tongue darted out, lapping teasingly at his lips before retreating back into her mouth. He released her lip to give chase, eyes sliding shut as he savored the moment. His tongue darted around her mouth, their teeth clanking together quietly, before hers joined it, intertwining. His glasses were being pushed askew and digging into his cheek at the same time, but he paid them no mind. They were both breathing heavily through their noses, drowning out the music of their game, abandoned in the background.

Lizzie's hands slid over his chest to his shoulders, massaging at the kink between shoulder and neck. His fingers danced along the small expanse of skin where her shirt lifted with the motion. Alfred took hold of the bottom of the shirt and she broke the kiss slowly. He swallowed heavily as her tongue ran over red, slightly swollen lips, then pulled the shirt over her head quickly and tossed it aside. He groaned as he watched her move over him, hands reaching behind her back. There was a pop and the bra that was encompassing her loosened. His hands slid over soft curves to her shoulders. As his hands moved down her arms, they pulled the straps with it, and the bra joined the shirt on the floor.

"Alfie…" Alfred shifted, pushing her down onto the bed as he leaned in to kiss her again. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him up against her and he broke off her lips to groan. He closed his eyes as she let go of his shoulder to move a hand to his face. Fingertips brushed his skin and there was sudden emptiness as his glasses were removed. He opened his eyes again to watch her place them on the storage shelf she kept by her bed. "Alfie…you're wearing too much."

He pulled back, pulling his shirt off in a rush. He could hear her soft chuckle as he fought to get the shirt over his head. He finally divested himself of the material and looked down at her, breathing heavily.

"You look so cute with your hair all out of place like that." Lizzie pushed up to lean on an elbow, a brow raised at him as her other hand reached out. A shiver raked through his body as a single finger traced over his chest.

"Lizzie…" He stopped to swallow. His voice sounded so raspy, even to himself. "…I have wanted you for so long." He leaned in again, capturing her lips in a series of short kisses before he moved down her neck. His lips curved into a smile against her skin as she shifted and moved, giving him more to taste. He moved down, slipping out his tongue to trace along her collar bone. Her arm reached to the side, fumbling under the blankets, but he didn't pay any mind; he was too focused on his task. Something crinkled and a small square was pushed into his hand. He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes. They had passed the point of no return long ago.

French prof says: Mr. Jones! I understand that the plus-que-parfait is difficult, but I promise you will live through it!


	14. Chapter 14

Two More Years 14

"So then she said I was just, you know, sex deprived and my body was telling me to go get some, damn it!"

Matthew blinked a few times, staring blankly at his brother as he stood at the counter, sipping the iced mochacchino he had just ordered. He had waltzed up, acting like he hadn't completely spazzed on him about being not-in-love with him, and started the strange conversation he now found himself in.

"Of course, the only person I'm close enough to for my mind to think about stuff is you. Go figure, right? She said it was probably Gilbert's fault for putting the idea in my head, which would explain him being there, too."

Matthew sighed, resting his cheek in his hand as he leaned on the counter. Why did he need to know any of this?

"So, I was right! I'm not gay!"

Matthew was still convinced he was wrong about that, but he wasn't going to push it.

"And yeah, I don't know what's going on with you and Gilbert, but you should tell him I want no part of it. Is there anything going on? I mean, he keeps harassing me, but I thought you were just going on a pity date with him."

Matthew groaned. So Gilbert had been harassing Alfred, too. Hoping that if he could get one, he could get the other, he imagined.

"I don't know, Al. It was a pity date. It was kinda flattering at first, but it's just gotten annoying lately. Even Francis knows when hands off means hands off." He turned as another customer walked in, and took their order before turning back to Alfred. He cringed as Alfred noisily slurped the last of his drink. That was his second one! With that much coffee this late at night, he was never going to sleep. He had better not think that he can come to his apartment and talk his ear off all night. Weekend or no, he had work to do.

"Well, you're such a pushover about things. You're probably coming off as playing hard to get rather than not interested." Matthew sighed. He had been upset that Alfred was avoiding him?

"Alright. It will drive me nuts. What makes now so different from yesterday afternoon when you were running away from me? Aren't you afraid you'll dream about me making sex eyes at you again?" Whose fault was it that he was now getting the rundown of Alfred's entire week while he was trying to do his homework at work? He regretted the question almost immediately as a grin slowly made its way across his brother's face.

"Because I totally hooked up with Lizzie last night. Hot damn, I don't know what the hell Rod was thinking, breaking up with her again. She is a vixen. No! A goddess, and I was in heaven." Matthew rolled his eyes. So Alfred had finally managed to nail Lizzie. Good. He'd been lusting after her since freshmen year. Obviously this didn't mean he'd shut up about it like he'd hoped, though.

"So, you're dating her now?" Alfred's smile dropped and he toyed with the straw of his drink. He looked a little like a kicked puppy. Oh great. He hadn't even been privy to the conversation, and Natalya had him calling Alfred a puppy. "What happened?"

Alfred flicked the straw before looking up. "I called her before to ask her out tonight. You know, go to town or something. She said no." He sighed and held out the cup to Matthew, silently asking for a refill.

Matthew rolled his eyes and took the cup, heading over to the ice bin to fill it. "Did she say why?"

Alfred frowned. "Uhm, she said that it just seemed like I needed it then, and while she enjoyed it, dating each other is not what either of us needs right now." He slumped over the counter. "Oh God, Mattie. Was…was I a pity fuck?"

Matthew turned to look back at his brother. He looked so pathetic like that. "That's…kinda what it sounds like, Al. What did you expect? You know she's still hung up on Rod." Alfred lifted his head to look at him, chewing on his lip.

"But it's not like I'm unable to get a date! I didn't _need_ a pity fuck! I just haven't been looking for a girlfriend!" Matthew dumped the ice and other ingredients into the blender, turning it on.

"I'm sure she wasn't trying to imply anything by it, Al. You know she's your best friend here." Matthew heard footsteps approaching and glanced over his shoulder. "Hello Arthur. You seem to be in better spirits today."

Alfred straightened up quickly, appearing embarrassed. Matthew rolled his eyes as he turned off the blender. If he didn't want people knowing how pathetic he could actually be, he shouldn't go shouting at the top of the world about it. He poured the drink in Alfred's cup, adding extra whipped cream and chocolate syrup before Alfred could ask for it. He stuck the straw back in and set it on the counter before he went to the register.

Arthur clapped a hand on Alfred's shoulder as he looked at the menu. "It's not so bad, Alfred. At least it shows, in some strange way, that she cares enough about you to be worried about your wellbeing." Alfred scowled around his straw as he took a particularly long slurp of his drink. Matthew counted mentally in his head. One…two…three.

"Ow! God! Brain freeze!" There it was. Matthew snorted as Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Well, honestly, Alfred. What did you expect, drinking it that fast? And for what? To make some kind of point to me? You're daft as a brush!" Matthew chuckled as Arthur moved to the register. "Just a small cup of Earl Grey. I've a paper due on Monday and I'm going to give it some stick tonight." Matthew raised a brow. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Arthur was actually here as a foreign student. At least he wouldn't be the only one trying to get work done this weekend. He rang up the tea and swiped Arthur's card.

As soon as the tea was paid for, Alfred slipped over, putting an arm around Arthur's shoulder. "Hey, Artie." Matthew raised a brow when Arthur flushed. Was there anyone that wasn't crushing on his brother in some way?

"How many more times will I have to tell you not to call me that?" He crossed his arms, but made no effort to move away.

"Right, right. So, Artie. Me and Mattie—" Arthur cut him off.

"Matthew and I." Matthew laughed as he flipped through the tea bags, looking for Earl Grey.

"Whatever. I get it right when I'm writing. We were wondering what happened between you and Francis. Did you get in some kind of fight? Do you still like him?" Matthew smirked. Oh, this was good. Get him while he's waiting for something he already paid for. Arthur scowled, shoving Alfred off of him.

"It's in the past and we're both better off for it. He can go ahead and play games with whoever he wants now."

Alfred wasn't deterred, putting both his arms around him, holding him in place. "Come on, Artie! That doesn't tell me anything! You were at a frat party, right? So what happened? Did you catch him making out in the hall with someone else? Did he catch you?"

Arthur struggled to break free of Alfred's grip. "No! It was nothing like that, you clod. Now let go of me this instant!" He looked at Matthew. "Just how long does it take to get a cup of tea?" Matthew smiled innocently as he snapped the tea box closed.

"Sorry. The day shift didn't restock the tea. I had to look for it." He hummed to himself as he pulled out a cup going to the water heater. He wasn't trying to see how much Alfred could get out of him. Not at all.

Arthur huffed and pulled free from Alfred, straightening out his shirt. "Fine then! Eduard and Ivan won't be at the apartment tomorrow. Promise to spend the day with me, and I'll tell you what happened. Better you find out from me than whatever ridiculous story Francis may decide to tell you. Honestly, he's trying to blame the whole thing on me." Matthew raised a brow. It seemed like such a strange request. Alfred looked over at him, questioning. Hey, it was for knowledge! Matthew nodded slightly as he put hot water in the cup and dropped in the tea bag.

"Uhm, alright, I guess. I can hang out with you tomorrow." Arthur smiled, clapping Alfred's back before going to the counter to claim his tea.

"Wonderful! We'll have a great date, ah, day, together. See you then!" He nodded to Matthew and Alfred before heading out. As Alfred turned to Matthew, he held up his hands, shaking his head. He knew the question, and no, he didn't know how Alfred had gotten himself invited on a date with his roommate. He couldn't shake the feeling there was something sinister behind Arthur's intentions though.


	15. Chapter 15

Two More Years 15

Well this just sucked. Alfred crossed his arms as he sat on the sofa in the living room of the apartment. He had woken up at the ass-crack of dawn to catch Ivan before he left to visit his older sister at her school. A few text messages back and forth established that he had left the night before. At least Ivan didn't seem mad about being woken up for no apparent reason.

It didn't change that he was sitting in the living room, watching some lame house flipping show for lack of any kind of selection, waiting for Arthur to drag himself out of bed.

Okay. It might not have been the ass-crack of dawn. More like close to 10-ish. And it was only 11-ish now. So he wasn't sitting the entire morning. But his point still remained!

Arthur had asked him to spend the day with him and instead he was spending it with slobs who couldn't figure out why their house wouldn't sell. Not that he had room to talk. His room currently looked like he set off an atom bomb inside it. Oh, speaking of that… He got up and went to his door, closing it. No need for Arthur to see that and have another conniption at him.

The door to the apartment pushed itself open and he practically jumped behind the couch. "Who's there? I'll kick your ass if you're a burglar!"

"Honestly, Alfred." Arthur walked in, arms filled with bags from the food store. "If your lack of common sense doesn't kill you, your imagination will." Alfred blinked and stood, dusting himself off. He hadn't been afraid at all. He was more the heroic type than the one that needed saving, after all.

"Well, of course it was you, Artie. Who else would it have been? I was just playing around, you know?" He grinned as Arthur stared at him. Finally, the other shook his head and moved into the kitchen.

"Of course. Too bad I don't scare easily. Maybe next time." He followed Arthur to the kitchen, leaning in the door frame as he watched him unloading various ingredients.

"So, you were food shopping this whole time? I thought you were still asleep!" Arthur shook his head and turned, a simple bouquet of flowers in his hands.

"Actually. I also stopped to get these for you. It's a shame the weather decided to turn today. I would have liked to take you out. Instead, I'll make you dinner here. Is shepard's pie okay?" Alfred nodded dumbly as he stared at the flowers. It really was a date then. What the hell? You don't ask people to hang out with you then call it a date! Especially when they are of the variety that likes chicks and tits and all that other girly stuff. You say 'Oh, will you go on a date with me tomorrow?' and then they say 'Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm not into you that way. Let's just stay friends.' He sighed and took the flowers. At least they looked nice.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Uhm…" He looked around then went to the cabinet, pulling out a glass to use for a vase. He couldn't say he'd ever gotten flowers before, nor that anyone offered to cook just for him.

And when they sat down to eat that pie a few hours and a rental dvd later, he really wished it had stayed that way.

The prospect of free piss flavored beer was the only thing that made him agree to go to the party at the Sig House. Normally, he'd decline the option, but anything that wasn't the lingering taste of death in his mouth was good. Also, Arthur reminded him that he promised to spend the whole day in exchange for his much desired information. So, his hands were tied anyway. He hated going to these parties. The house was small and cramped. People only came to these things to get wasted, stoned, and hook up. But there was beer. Lots and lots of beer; which was good because he was downing them like water.

He left the bathroom and shoved into the crowded hall, pushing past the line and stepping over the ones who were too stoned to stand any longer. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand being here. He was pretty sure he was starting to get some kind of contact high, and the noise was escalating. Campus police hadn't shown up yet, but it was only a matter of time before they did. Someone backed into him, knocking him into the wall.

"Oh, sorry about that." Alfred blinked, recognizing him right away.

"Mattie? What're ya doin' here?" He never came to these things. His brother shook his head.

"Francis asked me to come with him for an hour or two, and I couldn't think of a reason to say no." Matthew wrinkled his nose. "Geez, Al. How much did you have to drink? How are you even walking?"

"Psh, is fine. I only had a few." He blinked as someone grabbed his arm, looking over his shoulder to see Arthur there.

"Come with me, real quick." Alfred blinked and waved a bit to Matthew as he was pulled away to where beer pong was set up. Then he realized who was playing: Francis.

As Arthur pushed him on a nearby couch, he got the vague idea he was being used somehow. Arthur knew he wasn't into guys, right? Why did everyone seem to think he was? He blinked, looking up into green, strangely focused eyes. His head must have been spinning from drinking so much, because he was pretty sure they were getting closer. Hands were on his shoulders and a body was positioning itself in his lap. This seemed a little familiar. His eyes widened and he moved his hands to Arthur's shoulders to push him off, but not fast enough to stop lips from meeting his. He pushed on Arthur's shoulders, but his roommate persisted, taking Alfred's face in his hands as he pushed deeper into the kiss. How did he end up in a situation like this? He should probably be pushing back more, rather than letting him do this. He blamed the alcohol.

"My, my Arthur. Are you so desperate that you have to get a poor boy drunk to get him to kiss you? I can't but notice that he has blond hair and blue eyes. A little nostalgic of you, non?" Alfred grunted as he was shoved back into the sofa as Arthur pulled back to glare at Francis.

"Oh, you're one to talk, you trollop. Couldn't get enough of yourself and had to bring someone that reminded you of yourself?" Alfred looked over Matthew's shoulder, waving half-heartedly at his confused brother. He would probably have to explain this later.

"At least I don't have to force my affection on him. He knew he was coming here as my date." Francis turned to Matthew, running a hand down his arm from shoulder to hand, before he grasped it. Alfred leaned forward in his seat a bit, watching, shocked, as he pulled Matthew into his arms, kissing him.

The weight that was Arthur was suddenly gone from his lap, pulling Francis off Matthew. "You can't just force yourself on someone like that, frog!" Alfred blinked as a dazed Matthew walked over, fingers on his lips.

"Yer blushin', Mattie. Didja like that?"

Matthew shook his head a bit. "Did you like it?"

Alfred blinked, trying to decide if he meant watching it or when Arthur kissed him. It probably didn't matter. He didn't particularly enjoy either. That bothered him, too. He didn't particularly enjoy being kissed, but he didn't hate it either. Wasn't the whole point of getting it on with Lizzie to prove he wasn't gay? So then what the hell was his body doing? He looked up at Mattie.

"Not par—"

"Well maybe if you could keep your clothes on, it wouldn't have been an issue!"

"Oh, please, Arthur. We all know that all someone had to do was walk in to the same room as me to set you off!"

The two were shoved toward the couch and Alfred scrambled to get out of the way. Francis landed on Arthur, and the two just stared at each other for a moment before becoming a tangle of tongues and limbs. Alfred looked to see who had shoved them, and groaned.

Gilbert stood with a beer in each hand and a shit eating grin on his face. "Well. If it ain't my favorite bros." He walked over, moving an arm around each shoulder. "I been watching you pretty things all night, and I know you're just itching to leave this place. So. Grab a beer and let's blow this joint, huh?"

Alfred sighed, weighing his options. His "date" had obviously abandoned him with Matthew's, but Gilbert had been propositioning them all week. The waft of pot smock reached his nose from the other side of the room, and sirens sounded in the far off distance.

"Let's get out of here." He took the beer from Gilbert and made his way to the door.


	16. Chapter 16

Two More Years 16

" –taking advantage of the fact I had been drinking-"

"-not like it takes a lot-"

"-forcing me into bed with you-"

"-and what were you doing before I-"

Matthew groaned, cracking an eye open. The muffled clips of an argument is not the way he'd wanted to wake up. Neither was nearly falling off a small bed but for a tanned arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him flush against a bare chest, the loud rumble of a snore in his ear.

Panic seized him momentarily as both eyes shot wide open, darting around the room. It wasn't his room and didn't appear to be Alfred's either, but there were their clothes, discarded on the floor. He groaned, eyes closing for a moment.

"Please tell me we didn't." Matthew took a breath to try to calm himself before opening his eyes again. There was a bowl of popcorn dumped all over the strewn clothes by the bed. Bottles with varying amounts of beer were on the bedside table next to the television remote. He still had his glasses on, though they had been skewed with sleep. He hoped they weren't ruined.

He slipped out of bed carefully, rubbing his forehead as his brain thundered and rampaged against his skull. He was never agreeing to go to one of those stupid things ever again. Loud music caught his attention and he turned to the TV, walking over to turn it off. He noted that it was on the menu screen of one of the old Austin Powers movies. Great. When Alfred finished panicking about being gay again, he was going to spend the whole day speaking in a mock British accent. Arthur was going to kill him.

He looked over the bed, brow quirking slightly. His brother, clad only in his boxers, much like Matthew himself was, had rolled onto his stomach where Matthew had been. Gilbert, attired similarly, must have moved with him, because he was tangled in Alfred's legs, using the back of his shoulder as a pillow. It was almost as though Alfred had become his body pillow.

Matthew started gathering his clothes from the floor, wincing every time he bent down to pick up an article and shake the discarded popcorn off. He noted, gratefully, that his ass wasn't screaming in pain. It took a while to muddle through the dysfunction in his mind, but he finally pieced everything together. Even so early in the morning, it was warm in the room. With three people on a bed, it must have been sweltering. So, they'd discarded their clothes while watching a movie. Matthew nodded to himself, allowing the explanation to be true, because he didn't want to deal with any other reality.

He slipped out of the dark bedroom, ignoring the bickering from the direction of Francis' room and moved into his own. The first thing he noticed was that he'd forgotten to close his blinds the night before. Then he realized that it wasn't still dark at all. In fact, it was rather bright. He glanced at his clock. It was already ten in the morning. It would be a waste of the day to go back to sleep. He did a double take as he glanced at the clock. Wait. It was ten in the morning on a Sunday morning. He was supposed to have been at work by 9. For the second time in the five minutes since he'd woken up, Matthew panicked as he fumbled to find his uniform.

When he finally made it to work, he was faced with an angry co-worker. "Just where have you been? They tried calling your phone and everything!"

Matthew winced. Her voice was shrill and the aspirin he downed hadn't quite kicked in yet. "I-I'm sorry." He sighed as he moved around her to get to the back and clock in. When he got to the back room, Antonio was leaning against the machine with Matthew's sheet in his hand.

"Don't worry about it. I clocked you in a half hour ago."

Matthew blinked, surprised. "Oh…ah, thanks Antonio. You won't get in trouble for that?" He blinked as Antonio put his card back in its slot, pushing off the machine and walking over.

"Nah. Who's gonna know? Your time is in the computer and Miss Stick-up-the-ass Mei didn't see me do it. No one else would care. Just don't mention it to her and you'll be fine." He patted Matthew's shoulder as he started out the door.

Matthew nodded. "Hey, Antonio?" Antonio stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Did…did anything happen at the apartment last night?" Matthew looked down at his hands, not sure if he wanted to face the truth he was avoiding.

Antonio smirked and turned to face him again. "Man, last night was crazy! Let's see. You guys came back with Gilbo, drunk and laughing about something. He was trying to get you guys to hook up, but you were both pushing him away. Luckily, I was still awake, since I was working on my paper. I provided the perfect distraction: I suggested we all watch a movie."

Matthew blinked. "I don't remember any of this."

"You looked a little high. Did you smoke anything at the party? Anyway, Gilbo has the biggest TV so we all crowded on the bed in there with some popcorn and beer. Good stuff this time. Not the piss you get at parties."

Matthew nodded. "And…taking clothes off?"

Antonio shrugged. "It was hot with 4 people in a tiny room."

"Matthew! Get out here and help me! Why are you getting paid to do nothing!" Matthew sighed and Antonio moved an arm around his shoulders.

"Buck up, kiddo. How about I take you lunch after this? Just nothing expensive, okay?" Matthew nodded as they moved to the front to work. His phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket smirking as he read the panicked message from his brother. He slipped it back in his pocket. He'd let Alfred sweat it out a few more hours.


	17. Chapter 17

Two More Years 17

"I'm sorry, Alfie. I don't know what I was thinking, turning you down like that." Lizzie rolled onto her side to look at Alfred, putting a hand on his chest. "I didn't think the second time could be better than the first, when that was so amazing, but you proved me wrong."

Alfred grinned as he turned his head, kissing her forehead. "Ah, well. You were just worried, Lizzie. Wouldn't want to ruin a good friendship, right?" She looked up at him and smiled before leaning in to kiss him lightly.

Lizzie pulled away, smiling teasingly as she lay back on her pillow. "Right. But…I think it's worth the risk."

Alfred grinned and shifted, rolling over her to kiss her again. His hands trailed down her sides and she moaned into the kiss, tongue flicking teasingly at his lips. Alfred hummed in pleasure as he pulled back to look at her. Still flush in the afterglow, though he couldn't quite recall how they got there. Lizzie's arms moved around his neck, pulling him down into another kiss. His hands massaged her hips and she moved her legs around his waist, grinding their hips together. Something was off about the whole thing.

He was having one of those dreams again.

Alfred opened his eyes slowly, expecting to find himself face first in his pillow again. Instead he was greeted with pleased reddish brown eyes. Lips withdrew from his. Oh no. He didn't. Did he?

"Mmm, and a very good morning to you, too, gorgeous." Gilbert pushed himself up on his elbow as he leaned in, lips close to Alfred's ear. "Was it good for you, too?" No. No. No, no, no. Alfred yelled and pulled back sharply, arms flailing as he threw himself backwards over the edge of the bed. He scrambled, picking up his phone, which was discarded on the floor. Matthew was with him last night! How could he leave him to do something like this? He frantically typed a text to him, asking what happened the night before.

Gilbert looked over the side of the bed at him, grinning like the cat who caught the canary as he ran a finger along the sheets. "Relax, nothing happened." He pointed and Alfred followed his line of sight downwards to where the thin fabric of his boxers did nothing to hide him. "But it looks like you wouldn't mind if it did." Alfred grabbed his jeans from the floor, flushing as he pulled them over his lap. Gilbert shook his head then rolled back over. "Not happening anyway. Never kissed a guy before. I hope they don't all kiss like you, or I'm going to have to rethink my whole view of the world."

Alfred gaped a few times. He wasn't sure if he should be freaking out that he was kissing a guy, again, or angry at the insult. He was a damned good kisser, damn it! He gathered his clothes, hurrying out of the room.

"I'm telling you, I didn't force you! _You_ were the one who said we should come…back…here?" Alfred flushed as Francis and Arthur paused in their argument to turn and stare at him.

Arthur crossed his arms. "Oh sure. Spend the whole day yesterday telling me you're not gay and then stumble out of Gilbert's room barely dressed. You could have just turned me down truthfully. We all knew it was a lie anyway."

Alfred blinked, gawking at them. There was too much going on in his mind for him to grasp on any one thought. Were they back together now? Did everyone think he was gay like apparently everyone in the school was? Was he really upset that Gilbert rejected him? No. He wasn't. Because damn it, he was a damned good kisser. You could ask anyone. In fact, he would!

"Am I a good kisser?" He blinked and flushed as Francis smiled coyly, moving an arm around him.

Francis' breath was warm on Alfred's ears as he trailed fingers over his chest. "Hm. I do not know, but I would certainly be more than happy to find out now." Alfred swallowed heavily as the other took hold of his chin, turning his head to face him. "If, that is, you don't mind?"

Alfred stared at him, jaw slightly agape as he nodded dumbly. What was he doing again? Oh right. Proving he was a good kisser.

"Like Hell you will!" Alfred blinked as Francis was jerked off of him by Arthur. "I can't believe you're doing that, right in front of me. And you try to present yourself as a gentlemen?"

Francis sighed, putting a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "But the boy is obviously confused. We should be helping him."

"Confused nothing! All he asked is if he was a good kisser! And if last night is any indication, it's more pleasant to kiss a dead fish!"

Alfred balked. "I was drunk and I wasn't kissing you! I didn't do anything!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Exactly. Lips are supposed to move when you kiss someone, you twat." He pulled Francis back towards the room. "Now, you and I will have to have some words, frog."

Alfred's cheeks puffed up a bit in frustration. It's not like he wanted to kiss either of them anyway. They were guys. And making out with Gilbert while he was asleep didn't count as liking guys. It was supposed to be his pillow.

He turned, stalking out of the apartment and across the hall to his room. He realized he was still standing in his boxers as he fumbled for his keys in his bundle of clothes. A moment of panic set in, and he brought his hand to his face, feeling around until he connected with glass and metal. Oh good. He was wearing them.

Before he could get the key in the door, it opened. He walked in, following Eduard back into the living room. "Thanks."

Eduard nodded as he sat down with his laptop again. A textbook was open on the table. "So what? Were you that bad in bed?"

Alfred blinked and flushed. "No! I panicked and ran." He sat down on the other side of the couch, letting his clothes drop in a pile on the floor. "When did you get back?"

Eduard continued typing as he looked over at Alfred. "Early this morning. Everyone was gone, so I decided to work out here while it was quiet."

Alfred nodded. "Ah." He drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. Should he ask? Well, who else could he ask? He could call Lizzie, but she wasn't fond of waking up before noon on the weekend. What time was it?

"Something on your mind, Alfred?" He looked back over at Eduard, who had set aside his computer and turned on the couch to watch him. He flushed as Eduard's eyes seemed to move over his body.

Alfred shifted a bit, contemplating pulling down the throw from the back of the chair to cover himself. "No." Wait. "Yes." He turned to face Eduard. "Can you believe that Gilbert and Artie both said that I'm a bad kisser?"

Eduard stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly. "I wouldn't know if that was true or not, Alfred. I've never kissed you." He flushed as he inched a little closer. "But I don't mind helping you find out."

Alfred blinked, leaning back into the arm of the couch. "No! That's fine, really. It was a stupid question! I mean, it wouldn't be a good kiss anyway because I don't like kissing guys! I'm really not interesting in dating you or anything."

Eduard rolled his eyes, leaning back himself. "Don't flatter yourself. You're pretty to look at, but that's about it. You're good to have as a friend, but having lived with you a few weeks? Let's keep it at that."

Alfred scowled. "You're a best bud, too, Eddie. Thanks."

Eduard rolled his eyes. "You worry too much about what other people think about you. Does it matter if you like guys or girls or both or none? It's college. Who really cares?"

Alfred blinked. "I don't worry about that…"

Eduard shook his head. "And besides. You asked me, as a friend, a question. You want to know if you're a good kisser. I can kiss you and tell you. As a friend. Just because you kiss someone, it doesn't mean you have to date them."

Alfred nodded a bit. "I guess so." If he looked at it from that angle, it was really more of an experiment. Experiment. Oh, he had to go check on his fruit flies tonight, speaking of science.

Eduard nodded and leaned closer to him again. "So go ahead, and I'll tell you what I think."

Alfred nodded and took a breath. It was just a kiss. For science. Yeah; science. He licked his lips nervously before leaning in, pressing his lips to Eduard's hesitantly. This was to prove he's not a bad kisser. This is for his mental health. He had to do more than this or he really was no better than a dead fish.

He reached out, taking hold of Eduard's shoulders as he pressed into the kiss. Their glasses clanked against each other and he tilted his head slightly to move his as he pulled at Eduard's lip, sucking on it lightly. Eduard's mouth opened in a surprised gasp and he closed his eyes as he teased his tongue in and out briefly.

The door to the apartment opened and Alfred pulled away quickly. He looked to see who it was, eyes widening slightly as he saw Ivan standing there with his oh so delightful ex, Natalya. Beside him, a slightly stunned Eduard picked up his laptop again.

"They, ah, certainly don't know what they are talking about. You're fine."

Alfred nodded a bit, unable to pull his eyes off Ivan. Why did he have to walk in? It's not like they were doing anything bad. It was just a kiss between friends. And, why was he with Natalya? Hadn't he warned Ivan about the shrew that he'd dated?

"Brother, you did not tell me that Alfred was one of your roommates." Ivan never took his eyes off Alfred, frowning slightly.

"You never told me that your foolish puppy was named Alfred." Oh dear balls of gas in the sky, Ivan was the brother that he was dumped for.


	18. Chapter 18

Two More Years 18

It was probably sad that Matthew's workload from class was easier to manage than the rest of his life. After the weekend he'd had, spending a Wednesday night in the library writing an essay on the global impact of power politics was a blessing. His brother had been strangely absent from his life the past few days, but he wasn't actively avoiding him as he had been. As far as Matthew could tell, Alfred had simply been spending more time with his roommates.

"Mathieu, are you alright?"

Matthew glanced across the table to where Francis was setting down his highlighter in his textbook.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Francis smiled. "Well, you were drawing a line across your paper. I hope that's only a rough draft?"

Matthew flushed, moving his arms over the paper. "I'm just thinking about things. I'm worried about Al. He's had a rough few weeks, mentally."

Francis nodded. "He does seem to be very confused about his own identity, but it's nothing to worry about. Plenty of people find themselves in his position. He's just more vocal about than most." Matthew nodded. He knew that people often explored their sexuality in college, but it was probably not a comfortable battle to have with oneself. "And what about you?"

Matthew blinked. "What about me?"

Francis smiled. "Are you questioning yourself at all?" Matthew paused to think about that. He really hadn't been all that interested in dating anyone. A few months ago he had a short run of it with Lilly, but it never went anywhere. That was just as well. He had gotten more than his fill of death threats for a lifetime from her brother.

"I'm really not- I don't think I need to be dating someone to be happy. I'm busy enough as it is doing my school work and keeping Al out of trouble." There just wasn't anyone that really caught his interest. He couldn't think of when he'd ever asked anyone out on a date. Everyone had always approached him to go out. He blinked as Francis nodded.

"That's fine, too, of course. Don't feel like you have to be in a relationship with anyone. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to."

Matthew nodded as he looked back down at his essay. "So, what about you? I mean, I know you said you were kinda over-affectionate with people. But, did you date around?" Francis rested his chin in his hand, getting a wistful look. Matthew wondered what he was thinking about.

"Do you mean before or after Arthur? Despite what he seemed to believe, I was never with anyone else while I was dating him. I may tease, but I've never done anything with anyone since. I apologize for my behavior this weekend. It was…unbecoming of me."

Matthew shrugged as he started writing again. "It's fine, really. I mean, Al and I, we're just trying to understand why you two hate each other so much." He didn't see the look Francis was giving him, but he could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Oh? Is that why you both agreed to go on dates you obviously didn't want to be on?"

Matthew flushed a bit. He'd tried to be a good date, even if he didn't care for the frat party scene. "It might have been." He glanced up at Francis, wondering how he could be so amused about the whole thing.

Francis just smiled more. "You wouldn't be trying to get us back together, would you?

Matthew blinked. "You mean you're not? But last weekend, you were-"

"Sharing a moment of passion in a fit of rage? Yes, we certainly were. But it doesn't change the fact that neither of us will admit our faults. We can't get back together, truly, with the past hanging over our heads." There he was with the vague references again. Was he doing this on purpose? Matthew was about ready to reach across the table and strangle it out of him.

"And just what _is_ the past?"

Francis raised a brow, leaning back in his seat as he picked up his book again. "As I have already told you, it was a stupid fight. Let's see. Arthur got mad about something I did when I lost a bet at a party. There was alcohol involved. Isn't that a silly reason to break up? It is embarrassing to even think about."

Matthew scowled. "If you both know it's a stupid reason to break up, why not just get back together?" He was beginning to think he didn't even want to know what happened. If they were acting like this about it, it was probably really frigging dumb. He didn't want to realize that he and his brother were wasting their time. Alfred would flip to realize he'd let a guy kiss him over something ridiculous.

"There are more important things to worry about, Mathieu, than my romance problems. Take, for instance, that beauty at the next table that has been staring at you." Francis lifted his eyes from his book to smirk at Matthew. He had to be lying. He was just trying to derail Matthew from asking more questions. Matthew spared a glance, just to prove Francis was lying. It turned out he wasn't.

Realizing she was caught, the girl walked over to them. With blond hair that went just past her shoulder, curling in little ringlets at the end, deep green eyes, and a soft, innocent smile, even Matthew had to admit she was beautiful.

"Excuse me. Pardon my staring, but I couldn't help it. My name is Belle." Matthew smiled a bit. Belle. It was a perfect name for her. "I have just been wondering this the whole time you've been sitting here. You look so much alike, you must be related. Do you know Alfred Jones? Is he currently seeing anyone?"

At least Francis had the decency not to laugh; not too hard anyway.


	19. Chapter 19

Two More Years 19

Alfred put away the FlyNap, returning the flies to their container. He wrote down the last of his results and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his neck. Man, this took forever. What made him decide to take this class? Oh, right. It was required. He looked over to where Ivan and Eduard were playing another round of the dot game on the whiteboard. They had already filled the chalkboard.

He wasn't entirely sure why he'd allowed them to come along with him. Perhaps it was to shake the awkwardness that had fallen over the group since the weekend. Apparently he had been the only one that didn't know Natalya was Ivan's sister. To be fair, he supposed none of them really ever bothered to talk about their families. Alfred couldn't be sure if he'd mention Matthew to them if they weren't going to the same school. He figured he probably would; Matthew was his best friend.

Alfred still wasn't sure what to make of the whole thing. It had been an interesting day. Okay, more like the whole day was an 8.9 on the Jones Scale of Disturbing Things. He had woken up kissing a man, only to go to his apartment and kiss another one. Natalya seemed particularly pissed that he was Ivan's roommate, which was a little strange. For all that he called her a shrew, they had broken up on fairly decent terms. She had declared that she'd be moving into Ivan's room to keep a better eye on him after that, but that was quickly rejected by everyone.

More troubling than the sister-shrew from the 7th circle of Hell threatening his death at every turn was the Cold War that had settled in the apartment. Okay, maybe he was over-exaggerating, but Eduard and Ivan really seemed to suddenly dislike each other. Or rather, Ivan disliked Eduard, and Eduard was just returning the favor. Alfred couldn't quite figure it out. It wouldn't matter which one he was talking to; once the other entered the room, conversation ended. They would glare at each other, and he couldn't hang out with just one of them. It had to be both, the entire week. And yet, here they were in the lab with him, continuing their war on the blackboards. Apparently his plan to force them to talk didn't work. Damn.

"Hey guys, I'm almost done here. I just need to put the flies away." He rolled his eyes as they nodded, continuing their battle for supremacy and went to the side room, letting his mind wander again. The rest of his week had been fairly normal. Gilbert still talked to him when they saw each other in the hall, but he wasn't actively pursuing him anymore. Alfred wondered if he was still trying to hook up with Matthew. He'd been so preoccupied with placating his roommates that he hadn't had a lot of time to spend with his brother.

Matthew had stopped by his apartment that afternoon, shoving a piece of paper in his hands. Some chick named Belle wanted to go on a date with him or something. She wasn't in French with them, obviously, and she wasn't in his genetics lab. That left immunology or orgo. There were some pretty cute chicks in those classes. Maybe he'd give the girl a call. Eduard said one date didn't mean anything. He should try to remember that. He walked back into the lab as Ivan finished filling out a string of boxes.

"Hey guys, I'm heading to the food store since it's my night to cook."

Eduard looked over. "You're not making hamburgers again, are you?"

Alfred didn't mean to, but he felt himself pouting. So what if he was? "Maybe?" Ivan set down the whiteboard marker and turned to him, smiling.

"I will go to the store with you. If you're going to make hamburgers, perhaps we can at least try more varied toppings?" Alfred smiled quickly. That was the spirit! Hamburgers were versatile. You could do anything with them! He turned to look at Eduard to see if he'd be coming along, too.

Eduard shook his head. "I have class soon. I actually had plans to meet a friend for dinner, anyway, so don't worry about saving me any." He nodded to the two, pulling out his phone and calling someone as he walked out of the lab. "Hello, Toris? It's Eduard. Are you doing anything…"

Alfred's shoulders drooped a bit. When Arthur realized it was his turn to cook, he'd also said he had plans. At least his excuse had seemed legitimate. Apparently he was going to the city to pick up a relative that was flying in for the week and they were getting dinner there. Was there something wrong with his cooking? He always ate Arthur's garbage, and Eduard's cooking was so bland. At least his food had flavor to it! A hand rested its weight on his shoulder, and he glanced over at Ivan.

"We are going to the store now?" Right. Ivan was still going to be around for dinner.

"You know, if it's just the two of us, why don't we grab something somewhere else? It will be my treat." It would cost about the same anyway, so it made perfect sense to him. It must have made sense to Ivan, too, because he nodded.

"Why don't we go to the new noodle house that opened by the mall? I'll drive. " Alfred smiled. A noodle house, huh? That sounded tasty _and _cheap. How could he refuse? He nodded and started out of the building.

"Sounds good to me." Ivan followed after him and the two settled into a comfortable silence as they made their way to the car, climbing in.

Ivan looked at Alfred as he started driving. "I've been meaning to ask. Why biology? You don't seem the type that would be good at it." Alfred grinned. How many times had he gotten this question?

"Because it's the best way to be a hero! Just you wait and see. All the diseases of the world will be cured one day, because of me. Too many people are doing it for the money in research. I really want to find the answers!" Ivan blinked a few times as he looked at him.

"How noble of you. You're making me feel bad for being a business major." Oh, so that's what Ivan was taking? That was pretty cool. All entrepreneurial and such; he could probably open his own company someday. That would be pretty awesome, actually. If Ivan could open a business, what would it be?

"We could go into business together! You and me; it'd be perfect!" Ivan raised a brow as he looked back to the road. Was that skepticism Alfred was looking at?

"And what business could we possibly open together?" It _was_ skepticism. He rolled his eyes.

"A pharmaceutical company! I make the drugs to cure people and you sell them. It will be great!" Ivan pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car, looking at Alfred as he turned it off. Alfred was beginning to doubt his genius when Ivan finally smiled.

"We'll have to keep that in mind then." Alfred smiled as he got out of the car, making a note to himself to spend more time with Ivan. A thought struck him as they walked up to the noodle house, and Ivan opened the door for him. He had nearly forgotten about it!

"Hey Ivan, what do you think about Mattie?"


	20. Chapter 20

Two More Years 20

"So, you'll go out with Ivan – who you're not even interested in – but you won't go on a _second_ date with me? Come on, Matt. You're killing me here!"

Matthew sighed, leaning back against the sofa seat, watching Gilbird hop across the table eating kernels of popcorn that had been tossed there earlier. Gilbert was sitting on the arm of the chair, practically falling onto him. Antonio had told him over their lunch on Sunday that their roommate liked to talk big, but had never actually gotten laid. He was beginning to see why.

"I'm not interested in dating you, either. And I'm just doing this as a favor to Al." That, and trying to stop Alfred's plans, once he got them in his head, was like trying to stop a bullet train with your bare hands. If he went on this "date" with Ivan, then Alfred would let the matter drop when he told him it just didn't work out. He knew his brother meant well, so he couldn't fault him for trying. He had given up on understanding why Alfred thought he was interested in Ivan a long time ago.

"You know Gilbert, it's not very endearing to force yourself on others. It's no wonder you can't get more than one date. You should show a little restraint sometimes." Gilbert scowled at Antonio, who was sitting on the other side of Matthew, and sank down into the couch, leaning his back on Matthew's shoulder.

"I'm not forcing myself on anyone, Ant. It's just simple logic. Who wouldn't want to go out with this awesomeness?"

"What have I told you about calling me that?"

There was a knock on the door and Matthew had never been so relieved to hear the sound. He shot up from the couch, ignoring Gilbert's startled yelp as he fell back onto Antonio. He rolled his eyes as a loud thud followed Antonio shoving Gilbert off the sofa, and opened the door. A small bouquet of flowers was pushed into his hands and he looked up at Ivan, who looked just as awkward as he felt. He glanced down at the flowers.

"Al's idea?"

"Alfred's idea." Matthew nodded and set them aside before stepping out of the apartment.

"You…don't have to do this if you don't want to." He wondered how this year had gotten so complicated as opposed to their previous two years at school. How had he avoided all the insanity that seemed to follow them at every corner until now? Were the apartments cursed? The elevator opened, pulling him out of his thoughts, and he realized he'd missed any answer Ivan may have given.

Ivan smiled weakly as he got on the elevator with him. "…but, regardless, I hope we can at least be friends." Ah, he must have been saying why he was doing this. He could do friends. He let out a breath of relief and smiled.

"I don't think that's a problem. What are we doing today?"

Ivan smiled as they walked off the elevator and out of the building. It was sunny, but there was a chilling bite to the wind. "Alfred insisted that I should take you ice skating. I doubt we could get the rink open enough to play hockey, but we can at least reacquaint ourselves with the ice today, hm?" He walked over to the car. Matthew nodded as he walked around to the passenger side, getting into it. The first thing he noticed there was his brother's jacket, but he decided not to comment on it. Not yet, anyway.

As it turned out, it was still the offseason, and the ice was empty when they got there. They opted to rent hockey gear instead, not minding the added expense. It was well worth it, Matthew decided as he collapsed onto the bench, leaning on his rented stick.

"Those were some pretty good shots. I was having trouble keeping up with them."

Ivan nodded as he sat on the bench beside him. "But you did, and that is impressive, too. I never bothered to see if there was intramural ice hockey at school. Perhaps we should look into it and start a team together." Matthew nodded. It sounded like a good idea. He had never bothered with the intramurals before.

"Have you tried them before? Alfred did the racquetball in freshman year, but he got tired of it really quickly." Ivan frowned slightly, and Matthew wondered what he had managed to bring to mind.

"My sister told me that Alfred gets tired of everything quickly. There's always something shinier to grab his attention. Is that true? He's gone on dates with many people the past couple of weeks."

Matthew blinked, taking a moment to realize what Ivan was worried about. "He's not going to get tired of hanging out with you, if that's what you mean, Ivan." Matthew leaned back against the wall behind them. "He doesn't really get tired of things, so much as he burns himself out of them? So he'll do something hardcore for a while and then take a break from it. But he always comes back to it." Oh wait. That probably wasn't very reassuring. He looked over at Ivan, who, sure enough, was still frowning. "He treats people completely different, though!"

Ivan looked thoughtful for a moment before he spoke again. "He spends a lot of time hanging out with Eduard and I. Did he not have any friends before he met us? Why doesn't he hang out with them?" Ah.

"Well, he really didn't hang out with a lot of people. Let's see. He still talks to Elizabeta all the time. She's been his best friend here. By extension, when she's dating him, he also hangs out with Roderich." Matthew sighed. They really shared most of their friends the past few years, hadn't they? "Aside from them, he was friends with this guy that was in one of his bio classes. It's such a big school, you may not have heard of him. His name was Kiku. We'd all get together and play video games in the dorm lounge. Except Roderich. He'd just bring his homework and watch Liz play." Ivan nodded, taking in every word. Matthew thought it was sweet, and also a little sad. Alfred really needed to get his head out of his ass once in a while. He might be book smart, but he had the social skills of a newt…or however the saying went.

"So, where is Kiku then?" Matthew tried, but just couldn't remember where he'd gone.

"He transferred schools. Alfred probably knows which one. But that's about it, really. You're definitely one of his best friends, and—" He bit the inside of his cheek. With his brother as confused about himself as he was, he didn't want to encourage anyone else trying to take advantage of that.

Ivan didn't seem bothered by the sudden pause. He leaned down and started pulling off his skates. "You are very close to your brother, even though you have different mothers."

Matthew nodded, leaning down to do the same. "The whole thing is complicated. It was college. There was a party and alcohol involved and our parents let us fill in the blanks." He paused for a second. College, party, and alcohol. What the hell was it with people and doing stupid shit at college parties? That's it. He was done. He wasn't going to any of them anymore. It was bad enough that he had the whole kissing Francis thing. Ivan nodded slowly, trying to process it. Matthew didn't blame him.

"Sorry, I don't know why I told you that. We usually just tell people we're brothers and leave it at that. It's…kind of embarrassing. But…" He sighed. Alfred may kill him for this later. "…Alfred seems to like you a lot, so I don't think he would mind. He's just…going through a hard time right now. Your sister kind of threw his whole existence into question telling him that he was gay, and with the way people have been…it hasn't helped."

Ivan nodded a bit as he pulled on his sneakers. "I won't tell him I know." Matthew wasn't sure if it was there, or intended, or anything of the sort, but he was fairly certain there was an unspoken 'anything' at the end of the statement. "Let's go get dinner somewhere. I'm in no rush to get back to the apartment and watch Alfred fall over like a puppy for Arthur's cousin all night." Matthew nodded, getting up with Ivan to turn their gear back in. It took a moment before the information hit him.

"Wait. What?"


	21. Chapter 21

Two More Years 21

Rare AN: Jack Kirkland – Australia  
Warnings: awkward "first time" sex for Al, first time anything close for me .

He was definitely gay. There was no use in trying to deny it to himself any longer. He was fluffier than dandelion tufts blowing the wind. He was frillier than the entire cast of Swan Lake. He was fruitier than the Rooty Tooty Fresh n Fruity breakfast at IHOP. Oh, IHOP. How long had it been since he went there? He should see if Jack wanted to go with him in the morning. Or Mattie. Or Ivan. Or Eddie. Anyone, really. He really hoped Jack wanted to go with him though.

When Arthur had said his cousin was visiting, Alfred had been expecting another stuffy, pants twisted in a wad, bushy browed Brit. He was nothing like that at all. Well, the brows were a little bushy, but on Jack Kirkland? It _worked_. He wasn't sure what it was, but when he saw Jack follow Arthur into the apartment - with his wild brown locks, emerald green eyes, and an intoxicating smile - Alfred's stomach started doing flip flops. He found himself spending the next day sitting at his desk, trying to think of an excuse to spend any time with him.

Which is why he now found himself nose to rock, holding desperately to the side of a cliff. His Adonis looked over the ledge of the cliff, down at him, with a smile that crinkled around the edges of the sport tape on his nose.

"I thought you said you were good at rock climbing, Al!"

Alfred flushed a bit as he reached up, fumbling for another ledge, and pulled himself up a little more. "I am! I thought we were going to the wall in the gym!" He felt his cheeks puff out as he huffed in embarrassment when Jack started laughing. The embarrassment quickly turned to electricity coursing through his body and butterflies in his stomach as Jack's hand reached down, taking a firm hold of his wrist.

"Come on, then. I'll help you up." Alfred nodded and pushed himself over the ledge as Jack pulled. He dusted himself off as Jack looked around. "Ah, that'd be right. Rain moving in." He turned to Alfred, patting his back to start walking down the cliff to the woods. "Let's find somewhere to set up camp and then get off our faces!"

Alfred blinked. What was with the Kirkland's and their weird English? "…Camp?" He looked at the large pack that Jack had on his back. He'd thought that it was too much for rock climbing, but Arthur was a little off. He had written it off as running in the family.

"Of course! You don't drive out here to climb a cliff and then leave! I got plenty of grog, we can just have ourselves a grand time of it tonight. " Alarms should have been going off in his brain about how there could be all kinds of problems with this plan of Jack's, but those pants he was wearing showed off the subtle curve of his rear in just the right way. Instead, Alfred nodded dumbly as he followed after him, not minding at all that he didn't have anything with him for camping. They had a tent in that bag of his, right?

Five hours, nine beers, and a roasted rabbit that Jack insisted Alfred would like if he just got drunk and tried it later, the rain finally came. Jack piled up more wood in the fire and nudged Alfred's shoulder.

"Come on, Al. We'll catch death if we hang out here too long." He pulled at his shirt, grabbing another beer from his bag and made his way to the tent. Alfred got up, following after him. He tripped over that damned inch of tent that always got in the way, tumbling face first into the small structure. He closed his eyes, bracing for the fall.

A lap caught him. Alfred stayed there for a moment with his eyes closed. He heard a chuckle above him and opened his eyes to find himself face to face with a tan bulge straining against the zipper of Jack's hiking pants. He flushed as he scrambled to sit up quickly.

"S-sorry! I just tripped and then fell and…and…" Oh great hamburgers in the heavens was Jack aroused? By him? Really? Because he had sort of been hoping that there might be something there, but they had only just met and, really, they just kind of doofed around the whole day. There hadn't been anything remotely romantic about the day. Well, Jack might have helped him over the cliff. He also might have cast him a few glances over his shoulder while they were gathering firewood. Jack's arms had definitely been around Alfred's body, pressing them together as he showed him how to move his hands to start a fire without a match. It took a while, actually.

"It's fine, Al."

Alfred snapped his head up to look at Jack, swallowing a bit to find that his face was a lot closer than he remembered it being. He fell back a bit, shoulders rubbing against the tent wall. He looked around, and realized that while there were a few blankets that Jack had rolled up and shoved in the bag, there was only one pillow to be shared between them. He looked back up at Jack, who had leaned back himself. When had he unbuttoned his shirt? Alfred swallowed heavily, and it was lead passing over sandpaper because his mouth had gone dry. He couldn't help but trail down the teasing expanse of lightly tanned skin, ending at a very prominent tent in Jack's pants. He felt himself twitching slightly in response.

"I hope you're as good a root as you look like you'll be." Jack beckoned Alfred closer, and without thinking about it Alfred moved forward towards him again. Hands were on his shoulders and warm breath kissed at his ear. His mind was too fogged over to really grasp what was happening.

"W-wait…I haven't…I'm not…" Jack cut off Alfred's protests with a light kiss at the corner of his mouth.

"Shh…it's alright, Al. I know why you wanted to come with me today. That's why I decided to make it a camping trip instead of a hike. Just thinking about this moment, right now, has had me straining in my strides all day." He had been planning on this? Alfred's chin was caught between finger and thumb as Jack tilted his head up slightly. They're eyes locked for a moment before Jack's lips were on his. A chill ran through his body and Alfred shivered in pleasure, parting his lips and opening his mouth to Jack's.

Alfred's hands moved of their own accord, sliding up Jack's chest to his shoulders, pushing the already opened shirt off to expose more tanned skin and smooth muscle. He ran his hand up and down Jack's arms slowly before awkwardly setting his hands on his shoulders. A wave of insecurity washed over him. What was he doing? He'd never done this before. Well, not with a guy anyway. Was it the same as doing it with a girl? There was nothing there for his hands to play with. Jack pulled away from the kiss, licking excess saliva from his lips as he looked at Alfred with heavy-lidded eyes.

"You're wearing too much." Even as he said it, Jack's hands were tugging on his shirt, coaxing him to pull it off. Alfred quickly complied, hurriedly discarding his shirt and kicking off his shoes. Both were tossed to the side, joined by Jack's boots. Before he could fully turn back, Jack's lips were attached to his neck, pressing wet, sucking kisses at the juncture between neck and shoulder. A loud groan filled the tent and Alfred belatedly realized it came from him.

Warm, callused fingers moved over his chest, and Alfred gasped as they pinched at his nipples before sliding further down. They departed when they reached his pants and Alfred heard himself whining at the loss. Was he really making all these sounds? It wasn't going to echo in the woods, was it? What if there were other people outside somewhere that could hear it? Warm moisture surrounded a nipple as teeth bit down on the small nub and he choked on yell, distracted from his thoughts. Hands pushed his knees apart before sliding up the inside of his thighs. Alfred whimpered, hips shifting, trying to get closer to the hands that were just close enough to be too far away.

The world was suddenly turned on end as hands gripped his hips, sliding them out from under him so he landed roughly on his back. Even the padding of blankets wasn't enough to break the jarring motion and he groaned. Lips were over his again, pressing a fever of light, apologetic kisses before his jeans were tugged off and thrown aside.

"Sorry, mate. You're just getting me so hot with those sounds you're making." Alfred just nodded dumbly. Words seemed to be failing him at the moment as he felt the smooth fabric of his boxers sliding away just as easily as the rest of his clothes had. He looked up at Jack and felt his whole body growing warm under his gaze. He felt exposed in a way he never had before.

"Ah…" He opened his mouth and closed it again. He felt he should say something, but he still couldn't find the words. He was completely at a loss. Jack smiled and leaned down, his hips rubbing against Alfred's as pressed kisses along his jawbone.

"Relax, and just do what feels right." He could do that. He turned his head, lifting it to steal a kiss of his own from Jack as he reached up, putting his hands on his shoulders. Alfred pushed forward, and was pleased to find Jack moving with him, pliant under his touch. "I want…" Jack pulled away from the kiss, locking eyes with him again. "I want to feel your lips on me, Al." He glanced down at himself, still covered by khaki that appeared to straining painfully at the seams. Alfred froze as he stared. Jack wanted to feel his lips on him. There?

"Ah…" Alfred swallowed and licked his lips, trying to get rid of the cotton that resided there. "Alright…" His breathing shook with the rest of his body as he slowly bid his hands to move to the button on the pants, working it open with a silent pop. He was suddenly acutely aware of everything around him. Outside, the rain fell in large drops, plopping as they landed in puddles of mud amongst the brush and trees. The leaves shook and rattled on their branches with each silent gust of wind; an occasional branch cracked and the twig took others with it as it clamored to the ground. None of this was enough to drown out the low whirr of the zipper being pulled open by his fingers and the hiss of pleasure that passed through Jack's lips as he was exposed. Alfred stared, unable to take his eyes off of him. He hadn't worn anything beneath his pants.

He was suddenly convinced that there had to be something special about girls. He thought back to every time he had asked his girlfriends in the past to do this very act with him, and the seemingly expert way they moved over him; lips moist and tongue teasing its way up and down with every bob of their heads. It seemed awkward that he would be drawing on that now to figure out what he was being asked to do. He flicked his gaze up to Jack, who was watching him. Jack said nothing, waiting patiently, even as his eyes seem to subtly be pleading for him to get on with it. Alfred let out another uneven breath before moving to rest on his elbows as Jack parted his legs for him to settle between. He couldn't figure out if he was supposed to just lean down and take him in, or hold him. He lifted a hand and it hovered in indecision before he reached out, fingers brushing lightly along his length.

"Mmm…" Jack moaned and Alfred pulled his hand back quickly, startled, before shaking his head and reaching out again. This time, he was more sure of himself as he leaned in, taking a gentle, but solid hold of Jack in his hand, holding his still as his tongue flicked out over his head experimentally. Jack sighed above him and a hand tangled in his hair. It wasn't pushing him, but still served its purpose of coaxing him to lean closer, sliding his lips over the tip. His tongue slid under the head as he slowly pushed himself down. It was awkward. He could already taste the drips of pre-cum as they were soaked up by the back of his tongue. The muscle felt strange; it was a foreign sensation in his mouth, and he felt his eyes crossing to look at what he was doing.

Before he could do anything else, Jack's hips jerked as he groaned above him. Unprepared, Alfred couldn't pull back before the tip was shoved against the back of his throat. He coughed, choking slightly on Jack and his own saliva. He pulled away, swallowing and opening and closing his mouth. He wished he could unhinge his jaw. It would make this so much easier. He paused on that thought for a moment. The taste was strange and bitter, but not wholly unenjoyable. He wanted to move down again, and finish what he'd started, rather than let his awkward start deter him. Jack was panting slightly, moaning for more, – for him – and he liked that. He looked down again, at the slightly moist length bobbing in the dim firelight that made it through the fabric of the tent. He took a breath, prepared this time, and moved down, taking him in again. This time, his free hand moved to Jack's hip, pressing down to prevent any more sudden assault on his throat. The hand moved back to his head, and he shivered as fingers curled in his hair, sending electricity pulsing through his body.

Alfred's movements were more confident, as he took in what he could, tongue flicking around, searching to a large vein to trace as he pulled back up. He lost himself in the strange sensations against his tongue, the tip pressing into his cheek, and the small drops of pre-cum on the back of his throat. He barely heard the moans of Jack above him, but he felt them as they reverberated through his body. Suddenly, the hand on his head tightened its grip on his hair and gave a light jerk, pulling him back. He swallowed as he looked at Jack, confused.

"Was I-"

"You're amazing." Jack cut him off and leaned in, kissing him almost hungrily. He pulled back just as quickly. "But I don't want to finish yet." He pressed a kiss at the corner of Alfred's mouth as his hands slid down to his hips, massaging lightly. Alfred knew the question before Jack gave it a voice.

"…Go ahead."

Jack nodded and motioned for him to sit up. Alfred nodded, leaning back to sit up on his knees. He pulled off his glasses, finally, setting them off to the side by their abandoned boots as Jack slipped his pants off. He watched as Jack turned to his bag, pulling out a small translucent bottle. Jack turned back to him and Alfred moved, turning to set himself on his hands and knees again. He took the pillow in his hands, worrying it nervously as he waited. All he could do was listen to what was happening around him. There was a pop, and Jack shifted around behind him. A hand settled on his hip, massaging, coaxing him to relax.

Alfred swallowed and took a breath before closing his eyes. He'd read about this stuff before. He knew how it worked. He had to relax and everything would great. If it didn't feel good, there wouldn't be so many people doing it, after all. Soon enough, the hand was coaxing his cheeks apart and a cold, wet digit was pressing against him.

He glanced over his shoulder and nodded to Jack to go ahead. Jack pushed his finger in slowly, shifting it slightly as he did. Alfred grimaced has he felt each knuckle push past rings of muscle, fighting in against it. It burned. He shifted again, trying to get comfortable against the strange intrusion, and Jack stopped, waiting for him.

"Take your time. I don't…I'm trying not to hurt you too much. We have all night." Alfred nodded, taking a few slow breaths. The finger felt so strange inside him. It didn't belong there. The burning faded and Alfred leaned into it slightly. Jack moved again, and Alfred's fingers dug slightly into the pillow with each slow thrust in and the equally slow tugging out. Jack curved his finger up, pushing it in at one angle and pulling it out at another, coaxing that ring of muscle to loosen until he was able to press a second against it, sliding them in together slowly.

Alfred closed his eyes and let his mind clear. He wasn't sure how long he thought of nothing but the sliding sensation he felt, but soon two fingers became three, and then none. There was another pop behind him as the bottle was reopened. A click followed when it closed. Jack pressed both hands into Alfred's hips, and he could feel the slick warmth on his left fingers digging into his skin. Something large rubbed against him before pressing at the loosened ring.

"You have to relax, but I'll move as slow as you need." Alfred nodded again, wrenching his eyes shut as Jack pushed in. Burning, stretching, pulling, and unyielding resistance flooded his senses as his eyes opened again and he screamed.

He was definitely _not_ gay.


	22. Chapter 22

Two More Years 22

Being sent a beer run before he got back from his not-really-date was not how Matthew anticipated the evening going. He looked over at Ivan, who was carrying two cases of beer, while he carried a few bottles of wine. Just what were his roommates planning anyway? He hoped they had plans to reimburse him right away. He had used the rest of his budgeted money for the next week on this and it hadn't even started yet. It wasn't that he had plans for it, he just liked ending the week with extra.

"Perhaps they are having a party."

Matthew nodded. The sound of the bass pounding down the hall kind of confirmed that. It figured he was going to be at a party he couldn't escape from after he'd decided not to go to any more. Maybe he could get Al to let him crash in his room tonight. He walked up to the door, adjusting the bottles in his arms so he could open it and let them both in.

"Alright, the booze is finally here!"Gilbert walked over, taking the bottles out of Matthew's arms. "You could have said that you were going to be a while! We would have sent Artie!"

Matthew blinked, looking over at the couch, where a very uncomfortable looking Arthur was seated, arms crossed and scowl firmly in place. When did everyone become friends again? Had he missed something? "Oh…sorry." He took in the scene as he walked in. Francis was seated by Arthur, trying to coax him into something or another.

Most of the furniture in the room had been pushed to the side walls and Antonio was setting up a long folding table and chairs. On the kitchen counter were bowls with chips, salsa, and another for pretzels. Elizabeta had been invited, and it looked like she was back together with Roderich again, as the two talked near the stereo. How they were able to hear each other over the deafening volume was a mystery to Matthew. Gilbert walked over taking the beer from Ivan, who looked uncomfortable as he looked around. He was probably noticing the same thing that Matthew just had.

Alfred wasn't there, and neither was Arthur's cousin. Matthew walked over to where Arthur was shoving Francis off of him. "Where's Al at?"

Arthur scowled. "He went to the hiking trails a ways out with Jack. I'll doubt they'll be coming back tonight. The bloke is just setting himself up for heartbreak."

Matthew nodded, and stiffened as an arm was suddenly thrown around his shoulder. "You're gonna play some cards with us, right? It's poker night." He shrugged Gilbert off his shoulder and looked at Ivan.

"Want to stay and play some cards, then?"Ivan nodded a bit and walked over to sit on the other end of the couch. Gilbert disappeared into his room and emerged a few minutes later with a poker set.

"Alright, grab a drink, grab a seat, and let's get started! Twenty bucks to buy in, and at the end of the night, the winner takes all."

Elizabeta and Roderich abandoned their position by the stereo, walking over to sit at the table Antonio had set up. Gilbert moved quickly, grabbing the seat on the other side of her. Not surprisingly, Arthur and Francis had taken the opposite ends of the table. He really just couldn't figure them out sometimes. Matthew took a seat himself with Antonio and Ivan on either side of him. He sighed as he pulled out his wallet.

"Hey, how about paying me back for all your beer so I can actually sit in this?"

Gilbert blinked. "Oh right. Uhm…"

Elizabeta swatted his arm. "You better have been playing on paying him!" She looked at Roderich. "You too. Give him ten bucks from each of us."

Roderich sighed, but nodded, reaching in his wallet and pulling out the money. "I told you we should have brought our own. This is costing more than you said it would, Elizabeta."

Elizabeta rolled her eyes. "Then you better hope you win the night, hm?" She pulled out her pay out, passing it to Gilbert, who was taking money from everyone else. Matthew frowned as he took the money from Roderich and handed it to Gilbert while glaring at him. He wanted his money, damn it.

Ivan tapped his shoulder, and Matthew looked over at him, blinking when he was handed more money.

"It is from Francis." He looked over at Francis, who held up his wine glass in thanks before sipping it. More money slid onto the table in front of him from the other side.

He looked over at Antonio, who winked, as he took his hand back. "Ah, it's a lot of money to play today. I hope I win. How about you, Matthew? Are you good at cards?"

Matthew smiled a bit. "Really, it's more Al's thing than mine. He'll probably be upset he missed this."

Elizabeta scoffed across the table. "With the way he flooded my inbox going on about Jack yesterday? I doubt it. Too bad your cousin's only here a week, Artie."

Arthur scowled, taking his chips as Gilbert dolled them out. "One week of the year is too much. I swear the only reason the oaf insists on visiting every year is because he knows it bothers me." Matthew cast a glance to Ivan, who just counted his chips to make sure they were all there. Really, why did his brother have to be the topic of conversation? He wasn't even there?

"So Elizabeta. I didn't know you were friends with Gilbo here." Matthew cast a grateful glance to Antonio for the change in conversation.

"Oh, well, we're not really, but who am I to turn down good free beer and cards? Rod and I weren't doing anything anyway. Honestly, I'm surprised I was invited, since Alfie's not here." She gave a pointed look over at Gilbert, who shrugged.

"Well, I felt bad, since it sounded like Al was your only friend. I mean, with that _glowing_ personality of yours and all, I can see why." Matthew chuckled as Lizzie slapped Gilbert's arm, grabbing the cards from him.

"Jerk! Give me these. I'll deal. You'll probably just cheat anyway."

Roderich rolled his eyes, resting his chin in his hand as he listened. "Like you won't?"

Ivan chuckled as the two started to bicker and Matthew smiled. This was probably the best way to be spending the rest of the evening. Now all he had to do was win.


	23. Chapter 23

Two More Years 23

It wasn't often that Alfred was aware of anything when he woke up in the morning. He would shuffle from his bed to his coffee in an oblivious haze, on occasion getting into all varieties of trouble along the way. This particularly dewy dawn; however, was not a typical morning. No, this morning Alfred was very aware of a few things. For one, he was still very naked and somewhat cold. So was the body he was using as his pillow. Second, and this was the important one, was that he was sore. Sore wasn't even an accurate word for it, but Alfred found himself hard-pressed in his barely awake state to find one word that could adequately describe what he was feeling. There was a dull ache, and he was afraid to even shift for fear of aggravating into something worse.

"Mm. You're up early. I thought you liked the sun to be out when you joined the living?" A hand found his hair, stroking through the strands gently and smoothing them out. Alfred flushed and lifted his head to look at Jack.

"It hurts too much to sleep." Jack smiled, running his hand through his hair again. Alfred sighed, closing his eyes. That actually felt really nice. He wouldn't mind if they stayed just like that the rest of the day. Especially the part where it meant they wouldn't be moving at all.

"I'm sorry, Al. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? Anything to make you feel better?" Alfred smiled a bit. He just couldn't get mad at Jack. And sure, after a while, the pain had given way to pleasure, but Alfred wasn't sure it was worth what he was going through right now. He didn't think anything would ever make the throbbing ache go away. On the other hand, he did know something he really wanted.

"…Can we get breakfast at IHOP?" Jack blinked, looking at him. Alfred flushed, hiding it in Jack's chest. Could he be any more of a total lame ass? He was probably referring to something completely different and here he was asking for food. Jack pushed him gently, shifting him onto his back as he rolled to lean over him. Alfred winced slightly from the movement, but soon forgot the pain as he got lost in warm eyes and a very sexy smile.

Jack had to be using some kind of magic on him; it was the only explanation for the complete flip flop he had done. He was supposed to be calling Belle, asking her on a date, hopping on the good foot and doing the bad thing. But here he was, in the middle of nowhere, naked in a tent with what could only be described as the sexiest man alive. If only it didn't hurt so much. Damn it. He groaned as he shifted again.

"We absolutely can get breakfast at IHOP." Jack leaned down, kissing him. Alfred melted into the touch of his lips and trailed after them as he pulled away. "And anything you want for lunch." The lips met his again and Alfred moved his arms up around Jack's neck to keep him from pulling away again. Jack chuckled lightly, pulling away anyway. Why did he keep doing that? Couldn't he see that Alfred was in a very forgiving mood and ready to ignore the burning ache in his ass for the tingling joygasm in his mouth that was making out with him? "And I'll make you dinner."

"Fine. Whatever. Shut up and kiss me again." Alfred pulled Jack down, and was pleased when he did, in fact, shut up this time.

By the time they decided to pack up camp, get back to the car and get to breakfast, it was already time for lunch. Alfred was still kicking himself for lamely pointing out that it's always breakfast at IHOP, even if Jack had laughed. When they'd gotten back to the apartment, no one had been there, which was just fine for Alfred. It was somewhat embarrassing that Jack was carrying him around everywhere so he didn't have to walk; even if he really loved being in his arms.

Which was where he was now. Alfred turned a page of his genetics textbook and glanced over at Jack. He was laying at Alfred's side, holding him like a body pillow as he watched a movie on TV.

"Sorry if this is boring. I really need to get this done for tomorrow, not to mention I have to get to the lab again later." Jack smiled and pressed a light kiss to his temple.

"School work is more important. Can I go to the lab with you? I'll carry you again if you still can't walk." Alfred flushed as Jack's fingers trailed down his arm and his breath tickled his ears.

"I…y-yeah, okay. It's not til later tonight though."

There was a light knock at his door, and Alfred and Jack looked up as it opened. Arthur walked in and blinked.

"Oh, I wasn't…ah…interrupting anything, was I?" Alfred blinked, looking at his book in his hands.

"Just some homework. Need something?"

Arthur nodded. "I need to borrow Jack for a few minutes, if you can bear to part with him."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Go right ahead. I'm not some kind of love sick puppy or anything. I think I'll live." Jack laughed, pressing another kiss to Alfred's temple before climbing off the bed and heading out of the room with Arthur. Against the wall, Alfred heard them walk into Arthur's room. He turned back to his homework, intent on finishing his reading assignment.

The murmurs through the wall increased in volume slightly and he frowned. Just what were they talking about? He turned the page and glanced at his phone. Oh, right! Mattie's date with Ivan was last night. He should see how that went. He picked up the phone, sending a quick text.

_Hey, what's up? How did it go?_ He set the phone aside, trying to drown out the angry voices from the next room. A few minutes later his phone buzzed, and he picked it up to read the reply from his brother.

_We're good friends, he's in love with someone who is too blind to see it, and I'm $140 richer. How about you? Anything you haven't been telling me?_

Alfred blinked a few times. Just what the hell did his brother do yesterday? He looked at the wall as the voices carried through.

"…the bloody hell are you doing…"

"…not…business…my life…"

He sighed and turned back to the phone, replying to Matthew. _Really? Who? Why don't you come over and I'll tell you about it_.

"He's confused and you've the brass neck to take advantage of that! Can't you keep your trousers on for once?"

"Why do you always have to get up me for everything? Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I like the bloke?"

Alfred's cheeks burned and he hid in his book a little. He knew they were arguing about him. He supposed it was dumb, falling so hard for someone who was leaving at the end of the week, but he couldn't help it. As soon as Jack walked into the room, he took his breath away. When he wasn't there, he was all he could think about. He shifted a bit and winced again. Well, he thought about that, too. There was a knock at the door and the arguing stopped. Footsteps left Arthur's room and the door was answered.

"Oh, Matthew. Alfred's in his room. Want me to call him?"

"It's alright, Arthur. He knows I'm coming." Alfred looked up as his door opened and smiled.

"Hey Mattie! Come have a seat! …Did you do the French homework yet?" He really should get started on that. Matthew rolled his eyes as he took the seat at Alfred's desk.

"Not yet. It only takes me a few minutes, so I was thinking of just doing it right before class. Maybe you'll actually learn it if you do it yourself for once." Alfred pouted. That was harsh.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Matthew smirked as he leaned against the desk.

"Maybe I should be asking that of you. Except…I think I know what it was, or should I say who? And just when were you planning on telling me about this little tryst of yours?" Alfred blinked, flushing. Oh right. He had meant to call Mattie yesterday, but the whole thing had happened so fast.

"Oh…I, uh, might have a bit of a crush on Jack, and I'm kinda hoping he has a bit of one on me, too…" Matthew sighed, and Alfred frowned. He knew where his thoughts were going. "I know he's only here for a week. I don't need a lecture."

Matthew nodded. "Fine then. I hope you'll be alright then, because I'm not going to want to listen to your overdramatic droning while you ask for more frozen mocha latte to make the pain go away." Alfred perked up.

"Speaking of pain and frozen mocha lattes, I am in a _ton_ of pain right now…" Matthew rolled his eyes, but anything he was going to say was drowned out by the voice from the door.

"How do you like them?" Alfred looked over at where Jack was leaning in the doorway and smiled. "I'll go get one for you. This is brother you keep talking about?" He looked at Matthew and smiled. "You want anything? It'll be my shout."

Matthew shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm leaving in bit. I just wanted to tell Al he's an idiot, as usual."

Alfred leaned over toward him, dropping his book as he brought his hands together over his chest. "But you still love me, right bro? Mattie?" Matthew sighed and nodded and Alfred smiled.

"Alright then. I'll be back quick as I can." Jack waved and headed out. Alfred waved after him then looked back at Matthew.

"I know you think I'm stupid, falling so hard for someone who's leaving at the end of the week, but can't you at least be a little happy for me?" Matthew sighed and shifted to sit on the end of the bed.

"Of course I'm happy for you, Al. I just don't want to see you get hurt." He smiled. "But you're happier than I've seen you in a while, so I guess I can give my approval to your little fling. So, tell me about your trip in the wilderness. I have to admit, I was surprised when I heard about it."

Alfred smiled brightly as he started to tell Matthew about the weekend, making sure to leave out the parts where he totally failed.


	24. Chapter 24

Two More Years 24

He was probably a bad person for allowing it to go on. In fact, there was a nine in ten probability of this being the case, but Matthew was enjoying seeing his brother not questioning himself in any way this semester. He had been starting to think that getting an apartment was a bad idea for Alfred and his spastic tendencies, but maybe he'd be alright after this. After all, he knew Jack would be going home, and Alfred already acknowledged that nothing could come of the fling. When Alfred was happy, that meant he wasn't sending him hundreds of texts every day, bemoaning his fate. It was only half that amount, singing Jack's praises. If the guy was that good to his brother, even for a fling, Matthew couldn't hold anything against him.

Matthew's big concern was that Jack was leaving tomorrow, as were most of the people on campus. It was time for the Fall Break, and he had just been invited to join his roommates in going to crash Gilbert's house for the long weekend at the last minute. He was going. He'd be joining the exodus from campus, leaving his brother behind to deal with the mess he'd gotten himself into, and it bothered him a little.

"Oh, it's you again. I didn't know you worked here. Did you ever give my number to Alfred? I haven't heard anything from him yet…"

Matthew turned his attention from his homework to the register, where that girl from last week was standing. What was her name again? Oh, right. Belle. He stared at her for a moment, wondering what was different from the first time he'd seen her. He had thought she was beautiful that first time she approached him in the library.

"You told him to call me, right?" Matthew smiled at her. Right. It was because she was only talking to him to get to his brother. Sorry, Belle. He's gay. He's more fabulous than those designer clothes you're wearing. And based on the timing of it all, we can probably assume it's your fault. He took one look at the girl who was trying to hook up with him and decided it would be more enjoyable to take it up the ass. I hope you're proud of yourself.

"I did give it to him. You haven't heard from him yet? That's strange. He said he would give you a call. He's been kinda busy lately though. Why don't you try to catch him after class, or maybe during lunch?"

Belle nodded thoughtfully and his shoulders slumped a bit. A line was starting to form behind her and she still hadn't ordered. The between class rush was starting. He could tell Belle must be intelligent; after all, she was apparently in one of Alfred's more difficult classes. He shouldn't be letting his own bias against her bother him, but he really didn't want to get in trouble because she was being a ditz. She really needed to remember why she was here in the first place and fast.

"Ah, Matt. You should have mentioned if you needed help out here." Like that. Antonio moved to the register beside Matthew's, calling for the next customer in line. The act seemed to snap Belle out of her thoughts, though.

"Oh right. Sorry. I'll just have a mango bubble tea." Matthew nodded and rang it up, taking her card and swiping it. He took a few more orders before he turned to start making everything. As he worked, he couldn't help but overhear snippets of conversation at the counter.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to back into you."

"It's no trouble." He blinked and glanced over, confirming the voice was in fact Alfred's roommate. Belle was flushing as she picked up what appeared to be Eduard's textbook on the floor. He raised a brow as Eduard took it with a flush of his own. Maybe Eduard wasn't as into his brother as Matthew thought he was. He shook his head and turned, finishing the bubble tea and setting it on the counter.

"Your drink is up." Belle ignored him as she handed Eduard his book, asking him about the class that used it. Well. He didn't have to worry about that anymore, now did he? His brother was better off losing that phone number. He turned back to what he was doing, making short work of the remaining orders. When the after class rush had subsided, both Belle and Eduard were gone. That was fine with Matthew. He let out a breath and started cleaning up the mess that had been made.

"Your shift is over after you finish that counter."Antonio's hand clapped his back and Matthew looked over his shoulder at him. "And then you and me are going to head over to the noodle house. You don't have class, right?"

Matthew shook his head. "I have morning classes." He smiled. "And I'll only go if you let me treat this time." Antonio chuckled as he turned to clean the espresso machine.

"Sure thing." He looked over at him. "Gilbo told me you were coming with us this weekend. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm glad you could make it."

Matthew nodded. "Well, I didn't have any plans to do anything, and he said we'd just be chilling at the house. It's good to have a change of scenery every once in a while. I don't get to do it a lot between not having extra money, work, and school work."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, but you'll be the one that comes out ahead in the end. We're having our fun now, but we'll be kicking ourselves in the ass for it later." He finished wiping down the equipment, tossing his rag in the bin. "Let's go. I'm tired of this place."

Matthew nodded, giving one last swipe of the counter before his rag joined the others in the bin. He followed Antonio to the back, punching out. Antonio did the last few things he had to in the supervisor's office and the two left.

"Crazy semester so far, huh?" Matthew nodded his agreement as he shoved his hands in his pockets. It really had been, and he found himself wondering how it happened every day. It couldn't have just been any one of them, if this was crazy by everyone's standards. "At least it seems like Gilbo decided to leave you alone."

Matthew nodded again. "It's nothing against him. He's cool to hang out with, but I just don't think I'm interested in dating him."

Antonio nodded. "He defeats his own purpose a lot. I don't think he's as into guys as he believes he is anyway. Did you see the way he was flirting with Elizabeta on poker night? And right in front of her boyfriend. That was pretty bold."

Matthew blinked as he reflected on the two bickering the whole the night. Were they at the same poker table? "Uhm…it looked like they were fighting to me."

Antonio laughed. "Hm. That might have been it. But, you gotta figure, Francis and Arthur fight all the time. It usually leads to one of their beds, then more bickering about it the next morning."

Matthew shrugged. He had him there. "Speaking of them," He looked over at Antonio as they stopped at the corner to wait for the light. "I know you guys don't like to talk about it, but what happened? I already know it's stupid as hell."

Antonio chuckled, rubbing his nose. "Yeah, you got that right. That's why we were sworn to secrecy. Bros before 'ho's, man."

Matthew scowled. "Do I look a 'ho to you? Should you be paying me to walk down the street with you?"

Antonio held up his hands defensively. "Hey, come on, man. I don't know if you're in bro territory for Francis yet. You and me? Totally bros. But it's not my story tell." He started crossing the street when the light changed. "You gotta get Francis to tell you what really happened. But I can tell you this; Arthur is packing a mean uppercut in that little frame of his."

Matthew blinked a few times. "No kidding." Rather than give any kind of useful hint, Matthew found him more confused than ever. He'd have to find some time to sit down with Alfred to go over the small pieces of information they had. Maybe the story would tell itself.

"So, if you're coming with us, what is your brother doing for the break?"

That was a good question; one that Matthew hadn't thought to find an answer to. "I really don't know." As if Alfred knew they were talking about him, Matthew's phone started ringing. He answered without bothering to check the caller id. "Hello."

"Hey, Mattie! You busy? Nah, actually, don't worry. This will only take a second. So, you've been working right?" Matthew's eye twitched slightly as he just listened. He wouldn't get a word in edgewise. "Can you lend me thirteen hundred dollars so I can—" Matthew didn't bother to listen to the rest before hanging up.

"And quite frankly, I don't care." He failed to notice Antonio's amused grin behind him as he stalked into the noodle house.


	25. Chapter 25

Two More Years 25

Alfred had never been a big fan of the lottery, and as he logged onto the computer checking the previous night's numbers, he remembered why. He could never win the stupid thing when he really needed it. And so, there he was. His roommates were at their respective classes for the day. Arthur had gone out to get gas in his car, or so he had claimed. Jack was in the shower; the last shower he was going to take at the apartment that year. And all Alfred had was a losing lottery ticket and a jack ass, heartless brother who had no concept of what love was and no respect for it. He sighed, snapping his laptop shut as he heard the water turn off. He at least had enough money to offer to take Jack to a nice lunch before he had to go to the airport.

He jumped as a damp hand trailed wet fingers up the side of his neck.

"Aw. Didn't want to come take a shower with me? Not even for a lil root?"Alfred looked up at Jack, jaw dropping slightly when he realized he hadn't even bothered to stop for a towel on his way to the bedroom. "Come on then. You chucked a sickie from classes to spend time with me. The least you could do is give me a kiss."

Alfred could only nod dumbly as he watched droplets of water dripping in rapid succession off of tousled strands of hair, creating a small stream down Jack's chest. He wondered if anyone else would agree with him that the water accented ieverything/i just the right way. He drank in the sight greedily, lending further to his stupor. This was the last time he would see this; experience it, and he was just staring. He swallowed heavily and leaned forward, lapping at a drop of water that had latched onto a nipple and stayed there stubbornly. He wished he could do the same.

A hand tangled in his hair as he caught the nipple between his teeth lightly, tongue flickering over the small pebble-like nub. He'd always chuckled to himself when he read anything to referred them that way, but, as Jack's breath hitched above him with each lap of his tongue, Alfred could feel where the description came from. There was a light tug of his hair, and Alfred pulled back, letting Jack pull him out of his desk seat and shove him back onto his bed. Their limbs moved in so many ways, so quickly, it could only be called a flurry as hands groped over skin and cloth and legs tangled in themselves.

His clothes were more than damp, soaking up the water that lingered on Jack's skin, but he didn't care. He didn't want to break the contact Jack had initiated between their lips to remove them. He needed more button down shirts. It wouldn't matter anymore after this if he got them. Finally Jack pulled back, straddling Alfred's waist as he looked down at him.

"You have no idea how sexy you look from here."

Alfred smirked weakly, not feeling as confident as he tried to look. "Not nearly as amazing as you do."

Jack grinned, sliding a hand up his side, pushing his shirt with it. "That's because you're wearing too much."

He didn't wait for any instructions before sitting up and helping Jack pull the shirt off, tossing it aside. He looked up at Jack; still above him; water still dripping onto his chest and now onto Alfred's abdomen. "Jack, I…" He trailed off, not sure what he was trying to say. There was so much he wanted to tell him. He didn't want to say anything at all. Words wrestled each other as they tried to tumble out of his mouth, and he wanted to bite down on his tongue to avoid saying anything at all. Words would lead to a good bye that he would never be ready for. Jack leaned over him again, pressing his lips against the corner of his mouth. Alfred felt his words more than he heard the murmur.

"I love you, Alfred."

His heart stopped beating. He felt it. It just stopped cold. It fell like lead into his stomach, and he could already feel the acid eating away at it and destroying it. He'd never been in love before. He'd never known heartache. He'd always walked away from relationships feeling nothing, the same nothingness he felt when he was in them. This hurt more than Lizzie telling him he was a one night stand after he thought he had a chance with her. He knew that he never had a chance with Jack, and he'd leapt in anyway. He never should have gone on that hiking trip last weekend. He wouldn't be hurting so much now. Except he would, but he would silently be pining and lamenting alone and Jack wouldn't be sitting here, pressing a slow, ghosting trail of kisses down his neck.

A hand cupped his cheek gently, fingers still cool from air hitting rivulets of water as they gently guided Alfred's face – his lips – to join Jack's. Alfred could feel the tips of Jack's fingers warming as they slowly slid down the side of his neck. There was a nip at his bottom lip and he parted them to lick lightly at the spot. Where everything had been a whirlwind of rapid movements, desperate kisses and groping, it felt like everything was moving in slow motion.

Like the final moments before the end of the race.

Jack's hands moved down Alfred's chest as he leaned into him, pushing him down into the mattress. There was a hitch in his breath against Alfred's lips as his fingers hooked in the elastic of his pants, sliding them down. He was so happy he'd just opted to stay in pajamas today. Someone groaned as the fabric slid over him, revealing that he was already half hard and it took him a moment to realize it was him.

"Jack…" Alfred didn't know he'd closed his eyes until he opened them to meet the deep green one's hovering over him.

"Alfred…" Jack glanced down as he trailed a finger along the underside of his shaft, coaxing him stand erect. He was even happier that he had also taken to going commando at night.

Alfred swallowed the heavy lump in his throat, already feeling himself tightening up defensively. "I can't…I don't want…"

Jack pressed a light kiss to his lips to silence Alfred as he positioned himself over him. "We won't do that again."

Before Alfred could ask what he meant, Jack thrust himself against him, creating just enough friction between them to stop his thoughts. Lips seared down the side of his neck and a hand wrapped around them, holding them together. Alfred's eyes clenched shut as he tried to remember breathing was just as important as what Jack was doing to him. He kept thrusting into his hand, rubbing against Alfred with every movement. He rocked his hips upward into Jack's hand awkwardly and took a shaky breath in before moving up into him again. The pace was unsteady, and didn't sync with Jack's thrusts at all, but it didn't have to. Alfred's head fell back against his pillow as he groaned. His stomach coiled and tightened in knots; tighter and tighter as he felt the pressure build behind his eyes.

Wet lips pressed loose kisses over his skin between thrusts, and Jack's nose burrowed into the junction between neck and shoulder. Alfred brought a hand up, fisting it in his hair as he thrust up into him again, seeking release. Let go. He had to let go. His hold on Jack tightened as he thrust up harder against, each time more urgent than the last.

"Jah-Jah-…ah…" Jack's only response was a low groan of his own before he suddenly jerked his head upwards, latching onto that groove where he had been burrowed just seconds before. Nanoseconds? Whatever. It didn't matter. Jack was sucking lightly at the skin, pulling it into his mouth. It was like a vacuum and the sensation sent a shudder through Alfred's body. It was the push he needed, and he threw his head back. He couldn't vocalize what he was feeling as the tidal wave rushed over his senses, knocking the breath out of him. He was only vaguely aware of the warm substance splattering between them as his hips held their raised position against Jack.

As he was coming down from the short-lived euphoria, Jack reached his climax, riding it out above him. Alfred panted heavily as he opened his eyes slowly. He swallowed as Jack lapped gently at the mark he'd left on his neck before pressing shaky kisses along Alfred's jaw line. He sighed, feeling a sense of loss as Jack's hand slid off of them, fumbling around on the blankets for Alfred's damp shirt.

The room was silent as Jack cleaned them off slowly, carefully, caressing the fabric over Alfred's skin. No words were spoken as he tossed the soiled shirt to the floor and shifted to lay beside Alfred, curling around him. None were needed. Alfred knew that their thoughts were similarly aligned. It was ending; just as quickly as it started. Emptiness was already starting to chill Alfred from the inside against the warmth of Jack as he lay beside him.

Alfred wasn't sure how much time they spent there, just enjoying the feeling of being pressed together before there was a knock at his door.

"Jack! Hurry or we'll miss your flight." Alfred supposed it must have been a while if it was that time already.

Jack moved slowly as he pushed himself up from the bed, extracting himself from Alfred. The bitter chill spread across his skin quickly. Alfred couldn't find anything that seemed right to say as he watched Jack pull one last change of clothes from his bag and dress himself. Jack didn't look back at him as he picked up his bag, until he was almost out the door. He glanced over his shoulder, hesitating.

"…Goodbye, Alfred." Alfred swallowed and nodded.

"Bye, Jack." Jack nodded and closed Alfred's door behind him. "…I love you, too." Alfred stared at the door for a moment before rolling onto his back again and staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel anything. It was different from feeling nothing.

It was worse.


	26. Chapter 26

Two More Years 26

By the time they finally rolled up to Gilbert's surprisingly large house, Matthew was ready to leave. It wasn't that the ride was particularly horrible; it wasn't at all really. There wasn't much that could beat a four person harmony for the complete works of Queen off Antonio's iPod. No, once again his brother was interfering with his life without even trying. Why did he have to care so much that Alfred had turned his phone off and refused to see him before he left? He wasn't his brother's keeper. Alfred knew what he was getting into. As far as Matthew was concerned, it's Alfred's own fault he's so miserable now. Why should he have to be the one to look out for him? When did Alfred ever look out for him?

Okay. Maybe Alfred tried to set him up with Ivan for whatever misguided reason.

And he did go on that double not date with Gilbert.

And he had always kept Lilly's brother distracted when they went on dates together.

Alright. So maybe Al did his fair share of brotherly back watching. That still didn't mean Matthew should have to feel bad about this situation. And he had someone else who loved him just as much as Jack did; maybe even moreso. What was Jack doing as Alfred was scrambling to find money to get a plane ticket? He certainly wasn't doing anything to stay, but Alfred didn't want to hear that. So, Matthew didn't say it.

"Hey, Earth to Matt!" Matthew blinked, reeling back as Gilbert was suddenly nose to nose with him. "Wake up! We're here!" He reached up, pushing Gilbert's face away.

"I noticed."

Antonio got out of the car and stretched. "Ah. Smell the sweet air of freedom! I call the bed in the guest room for Matt and me."

Francis looked at him, betrayed. "What is this betrayal? You'll leave me with Gil?"

Gilbert scowled as he got out of the car. "Just for that, all three of your sorry asses are on the living room floor."

Matthew rolled his eyes as he walked out of the car, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. Antonio fell into step beside him as they walked to the house. "Don't worry. You'll still get a bed." Matthew shrugged a bit. He didn't really care either way. Gilbert ran ahead of them, heading into the house, announcing his presence loudly as the others filed in behind him.

"You don't have to shout." Matthew looked over as someone walked out from the living room. He was fairly tall with a strong build. His light blond hair was slicked back, bringing bright blue eyes into focus. Matthew didn't realize he was staring until the other spoke again. "Our parents heard you were coming back and decided to take a vacation this weekend."

Gilbert laughed as he whacked the other on the back hard. "Of course they did! So that we could have awesome parties all weekend!"

'Luddi' sighed and nodded a bit to Antonio and Francis, used to seeing them. He looked at Matthew, and Matthew swore that his eyes were drilling holes through him and drawing him in at the same time. Was that even possible? It must have been, because that's what they were doing. No. No, he wasn't doing what his brother just did. He took a breath and smiled, holding out his hand when it appeared that Gilbert was just as rude at home as he was at school and wouldn't be introducing him.

"Matthew Williams. Everyone just calls me Matt."

Ludwig stared at him for a moment before taking his hand, shaking it. "Ludwig Beilschmidt. I have the misfortune of being Gilbert's younger brother. I assume you're the new roommate he's been talking about nonstop?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Anything he told you about me is probably a lie."

Ludwig nodded a bit. "I took it with a grain of salt." Matthew nodded as he took his hand back and looked around. His roommates had disappeared, leaving the two of them standing awkwardly in the foyer. Ludwig rubbed his nose. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, do you?"

Matthew blinked and looked at him again. "Uhm, apparently not. We weren't just coming to get a break from being on campus?"

Ludwig sighed. "I have an airbed in my room. You're more than welcome to use it, as long as you don't mind the light being on in my room. I have a paper due on Monday. Your break couldn't have come at worse time for me." He motioned for Matthew to follow him as he walked up the stairs.

Matthew blinked. "You go to school around here?"

Ludwig nodded. "The school the next town over has one of the best engineering programs in the country. Staying at home was just an added convenience, though Gilbert would disagree with that."

Matthew chuckled a bit. "So he comes home to party?"

Ludwig shrugged as he opened the door to his room. "I have lived with him my entire life and still can't claim to understand him."

Matthew walked into the room, setting his bag down. It didn't surprise him as much as he thought it should that even Gilbert's brother couldn't understand him. It was just something that was uniquely Gilbert.

There was whooping outside and the echo of car doors opening and closing reached the room. Matthew walked to Ludwig's window, watching his roommates drive away again. "I think this is a record for me. We've been here barely five minutes and they've forgotten me already."

Ludwig sat down on his bed. "Does this happen a lot?" He motioned for Matthew to join him.

Matthew shook his head as he walked over, taking the empty space by Ludwig as he flipped on his television. "Once in a while, when they get really excited about an idea and I'm not sitting right in front of them. It's not like they actively forget me when I'm in the room; just when I'm not." He leaned back against the wall. "It doesn't bother me, though. Usually when they forget me, they're doing something I wouldn't want to get involved in anyway."

Ludwig nodded. "Well, that's a good way to look at it, I suppose." He stopped on a movie and set the remote aside. "We'll just pretend we didn't hear the phone ringing when they call in a few hours, looking to get a ride home from the police station. Let them sweat it out til the morning?"

Matthew blinked. "That won't really happen, will it?" Ludwig just smiled and turned his attention to the movie.

A few hours later, Matthew woke up from where he'd fallen asleep, curled up at the foot of Ludwig's bed to the phone ringing. He looked at his caller id, and not recognizing the number, set it aside.


	27. Chapter 27

Two More Years 27

It was dark. The air was stale and his glasses fogged almost imperceptibly with each breath. Footsteps echoed above him as someone moved about. Suddenly, Alfred's vision was flooded with light as the cool chill of air washed over him from the world beyond his blanket grave.

"Are you planning on rejoining the living any time soon, Alfred? Honestly, if I knew you were going to be like this, I never would have invited the bloke to visit."

Alfred glanced at Arthur briefly before pulling the blanket back over his head. "There's no point in living." There was a heavy shudder as Arthur shoved his bed roughly.

"Don't be so daft! You only knew him for a week! Did you even know anything about him, or were you too busy following him around like a blind puppy to ask?"

Alfred pulled the blankets tighter around him. What did he know about Jack? He liked doing outdoorsy things. He was actually really patient with Alfred's inexperience with guys. He liked—What kind of movie did he like? He watched a lot of them while Alfred did his homework. They didn't really talk much, did they? Things like Alfred's major had never come up in conversation. Wasn't Jack interested at all in what he was spending all his time working on?

Alfred groaned a bit, shifting to burrow his head under his pillow. He didn't know Jack. There was a dip in the mattress as Arthur sat down on the side of the bed.

"Come on, now. I'm leaving for the break soon, but I have time to treat you to lunch. You didn't eat anything yesterday." There was a hand on his shoulder through the blanket. "Nor did you shower. Did you even leave your bed after Jack left? You wouldn't even speak to your brother before he left. This isn't healthy behavior, Alfred."

Alfred jerked his shoulder away, his already quiet mumbling muffled by the pillow over his head. "I'm not hungry."

The weight disappeared from his side quickly, as did the hand. "You want to be a miserable shut in? Fine! At least clean up this mess while you're holing yourself up in here! Are any of these clothes even clean? Forget it. See the next time I offer to do anything nice for you!" There was a loud slam as his door closed and Alfred winced slightly. He didn't need anyone's pity.

He had lost track of the hours sometime the day before, so he wasn't sure what time it was when he finally decided to roll out of his bed and open the blinds. He brought a hand up to cover his eyes as the bright light of the sun streamed in, blinding him temporarily. Alright, so it was sometime around…after noon and before dinner. He sighed and fished around the clothes on his floor, pulling up a shirt that wasn't too wrinkled and throwing it on. He yawned and slowly trudged out of the room. The lead in his stomach wasn't going away, leaving him feeling full, but he knew that he had to at least try to eat something.

"Oh…wow. You look like you've been hit by a truck, Alfred! Are you sick? Do you need anything? I can make some chicken soup for you before we leave…"

"Don't bother, Toris. We're already probably going to miss the train and he's not sick. He just went and fell in love with someone he shouldn't have."

Alfred looked over at where Eduard was leaving his room, pulling along a rolling suitcase. As usual, he had his laptop bag hanging firmly over his shoulder. He chewed on the inside of his cheek. "You can't help who you fall in love with."

Eduard frowned slightly. "But you can control how you react to it." He shook his head and sighed. "At least you left your cave. Arthur already left for the weekend. Toris and I are going to visit one of our friends from high school. I'll be back Monday night."

Alfred nodded a bit. "What about Ivan?"

Eduard shrugged. "I know his sister dragged him out to lunch, but he hasn't said if he was doing anything this weekend. He might drive out to visit his other sister again, though."

Toris checked his watch. "The train leaves in 30 minutes and it will take us as least twenty to get to the station. Sorry things didn't work out with that person, Alfred, but we have to go."

Eduard nodded and hurried to the door. "We should go out when I get back, Alfred. Maybe you need a break from the whole dating thing. You don't need someone else to define you. Take a shower; you'll feel better. Bye!" The two rushed out the door and left Alfred standing alone in the middle of the living room. As he stood in the sudden silence of the apartment, his stomach churned. It wasn't from hunger.

He stood there for a minute, trying to understand how his life could have flipped on its head so completely in the course of a few days. He hadn't alienated anyone, had he? No. They just all had their own lives and plans. What had he done during the break last year? Mattie had spent the long weekend in his room while his roommate was away, and they played video games the whole time. He couldn't do that again, though. Mattie was gone. He had managed to make friends that invited him on trips. Alfred couldn't fault him for that.

A hand dropped in front of his face, causing him to blink out of his thoughts. The light from outside was growing dim. How long had he been standing there? Had he really been spaced out that entire time?

"It has been an hour since you tried to get his attention, brother. I told you that he was spacey. He will come out of it on his own and start spouting his nonsense again."

Alfred scowled, turning to look at Natalya. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Alfred! We have been trying to figure out what is so interesting about that spot on the wall. You have been staring at it so intently."

Natalya rolled her eyes, turning back to the television. "He has come out of his stupor. You can stop fretting over him and watch the movie with me now."

Alfred shook his head. "S-sorry. I was just thinking about something. I guess I lost track of the time." He turned to go back to his room. "Are you leaving for the weekend, too?"

Natalya looked over. "He is. We are going to visit our sister."

Ivan coughed. "Ah, actually, I spoke to Katy today. I'll drive you there soon, but I won't be staying. I have a paper due when classes start again on Tuesday. If I finish it, I'll come join you on Sunday. Otherwise, I will pick you up on Monday."

Alfred blinked as he watched Natalya's mood shift rapidly. It was like watching the transformation into the Incredible Hulk, but not nearly as awesome.

"And when were you going to tell me this, brother? Call Katy and tell her I'm not coming this weekend either then!" Alfred took a step back as Natalya flew out of her seat and into her brother's face.

Ivan frowned, putting his hands on her shoulders, holding her at length. "I will be no company at all. I will be working all weekend. Besides, she is expecting you to be there soon. It is rude to cancel so suddenly, especially for family."

"And what did you just do? You cancelled your plans with me and you weren't even going to tell me about it!"

Alfred winced, wondering what it was he found so appealing about dating her. "Relax, Nat. He cancelled his plans with your sister, not you. Schoolwork is a little more important than something he can do any weekend." As Natalya turned her icy glare on him, Alfred was suddenly relieved that his insides were already frozen lead.

Ivan moved between them. "Alfred is right, and now we are sure that he is fine. We should be going now." He started pushing Natalya to the door. "I'll make dinner for us when I get back, Alfred. Why don't you take a shower?"

Alfred stared at the door as it shut behind the struggling siblings. After a moment, he lifted his arm to his nose, sniffing it. He didn't smell that bad, did he? That was three times he'd been told to take one today.


	28. Chapter 28

Two More Years 28

It was practically time for dinner when Ludwig closed his laptop and announced that they would be going to pick up Matthew's roommates from the police station. The day was otherwise quiet, aside from ignored phone calls. Matthew had reached for the phone a few times, concerned they'd end up trying to call someone else and make them drive the long distance from school. Ludwig stopped him though, assuring him they would not stop; they didn't. Instead Matthew watched movies and played video games while Ludwig worked on his paper. They'd made small talk the entire time. Matthew was surprised to learn that he had next to nothing in common with Ludwig outside of being the responsible brother. Even the games and movies that Matthew had occupied himself with were taken from Gilbert's room.

Regardless, they still got along well. After all, being the responsible brother meant you had plenty of stories to tell about the irresponsible one.

The ride over to the station was fairly quiet. Apparently Ludwig wasn't the type to listen to music while he was driving. It was fine with Matthew. He was too busy wondering what his roommates had done. What were the charges against them; would there be a trial? Jail time? That would mean that they would have to post bail to get them out, didn't it? He didn't have that kind of money! This just figured. They were probably counting on it, too. Funny, wasn't it; the only time people notice you is when you get a job and have cash flow. Oh Mattie, help me buy a ridiculously expensive plane ticket. Oh Matt, bail us out of jail. Buy us some beer.

"Maybe we should stop and get dinner first, Ludwig. Who knows how long processing will take."

Ludwig chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot, parking the car. "I think they've suffered long enough. Nice try, though."

Matthew sighed and got out of the car. "I knew they were idiots, but I didn't think they would actually get themselves arrested."

Ludwig nodded as he followed him out. "Well, it was probably just public indecency. They aren't dumb enough to do anything horribly wrong."

Matthew nodded as they walked into the station, and Ludwig started talking to the receptionist. From their relaxed demeanor, Matthew could tell that Ludwig was no stranger to this place. How often did they get in trouble like this?

"They'll be out in just a minute, Ludwig. Want some coffee?"

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you Tina." Ludwig walked over and sat down. "Have a seat, Matthew. They will have to get processed out."

Matthew nodded and sat down, looking around the room. The room was bare; white walls lined with rows of plastic blue chairs. Aside from inside the reception window, where he could see a small potted plant on the receptionist's desk, there were no other signs of life. There was a television mounted on the wall, but the volume was muted and there were no closed captions. He supposed he could try his hand at lip reading. All in all, this place was stifling and he wasn't even the one in prison. He could only imagine how much worse it was on the other side of the heavy door. They were lucky it was only the town's police station. What if they had gone to county?

Only a few minutes passed before the door opened, but for Matthew, it seemed like an eternity. That was probably why Matthew responded as he did when Antonio ran out, throwing his arms around him.

"Oh Matt! It was the worst! They made us sleep on cots, and Gilbo was on the top bunk and he rolls around so much I thought it was going to topple down and squish me flat! And there was this other guy in there, and he kept talking about ponies and I don't know why!"

Matthew returned the hug just as tightly. "I'm so sorry! I should have made Ludwig come sooner! I would have gone myself, but I didn't know where it was!"

Francis nodded to the guard with a wink as he walked out, wearing an oversized pair of pants and a shirt that looked something akin to a scrub. Matthew peeked over Antonio's shoulder. "That's…not what Francis was wearing, is it."

Antonio loosened his hold to look over. "Ah. No. Public indecency. We….don't remember where we threw his clothes."

Matthew nodded. "Ah…" He looked over at where Ludwig was pulling Gilbert to the door by his ear. "And you two?"

Antonio let go so that they could follow the others out. "Public drunkenness for me, and they brought Gilbert in on prostitution."

Matthew nodded. That made perfect sense. They were drunk in public and—"…Prostitution."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. See, he was drunk like the rest of us, but he decided it would be funny to hang out at a busy intersection and offer his services to cars when they stopped at the light. One of them was an undercover cop. We might have been fine if Francis hadn't opted to start stripping at that moment, and then take off running."

Matthew nodded as they walked out to the car, where Ludwig and Gilbert were bickering as Francis calmly climbed into the back seat. "So, how is it that you can remember all of that, but not where Francis threw his clothes?"

Antonio shrugged and hugged him again. "But I'm so glad that you came with Ludwig to get us, Matt!"

Matthew sighed. At the very least, he'd not be forgetting this vacation anytime soon.

small Author Notes (I never have these, omg!) – 1. That's what the jail is like in my area. I have no idea what yours may be like.

2. For those keeping track of time, as of the end of this chapter, it is Friday night for both Alfred and Matthew. Vacation lasts until Monday night.

3. Thanks for reading. The reviews are nice, and definitely encourage me to push through my writer's block =3 /small


	29. Chapter 29

Two More Years 29

Alfred couldn't speak to how much better he smelled after standing under the hot spray of the shower for nearly an hour, but he certainly felt better. He didn't know what he had been trying to accomplish in refusing to get out of bed and take care of himself. He toweled the droplets of water off his face before wiping away the condensation on the mirror to look at his reflection. His skin was still flush and pink from the shower. His hair was haphazardly splayed out in every direction from when he'd dried it. None of it could betray the remnants of dark circles under his eyes, however. He'd hardly slept at all the night before; all the 'what if's' and 'could have's' running through his mind kept him awake.

Of course, his improved mood from the shower led him to a depressing revelation: he had been a total jerk to his friends.

He blew off his brother's warnings, completely ignored his roommates, and forgot about Lizzie altogether. He was an ass, and for what? The most painful sexual experience of his life. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair to smooth it out somewhat, and turned, pulling on a clean pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt. It was too late to bother getting dressed now. Not like he had anything to go out and do anyway. He'd effectively excluded himself from anything going on this weekend.

He walked out to the living room, stopping in his room to put together the first of many loads of laundry for the machine. Maybe he could clean up the whole apartment this weekend. That would surprise all of them when they got back. He'd hook up his iPod to the speakers and blast it to keep him going. He should put together a cleaning playlist or something tonight. He sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the end credits of the movie Natalya had been watching. Right, Ivan cancelled his plans to work on a paper, so he would be here working this weekend. Scratch the music then.

Alfred's stomach growled and he looked at the clock. It was nearly 8, and he hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. He also hadn't felt the sharp pangs of hunger until now though. Hadn't Ivan mentioned that he would be making dinner when he got back? He'd been gone a while now. Well, if he bought stuff to make dinner, it would be pretty obvious what it was when Alfred poked around the kitchen, right? He got up, making his way into other room. He'd surprise Ivan by having dinner ready when he got back. That way, he'd have more time to work on his paper.

The first thing Alfred noticed when he flipped on the light was the package of hamburger buns on the counter that had not been there before. No one had gone food shopping, so he knew that Ivan must have gotten them. He wasn't really going to—was he? Alfred went to the refrigerator, pulling it open. There, in all its plastic wrapped, Styrofoam tray, red and white speckled glory was a package of ground beef. He pulled open the vegetable tray: lettuce, onion, tomato. He really was; Ivan was going to make him hamburgers for dinner.

Alfred wasn't sure what to think; what to say. Well, he didn't really have to say anything, because Ivan wasn't here. He would be talking to himself and that would just be strange. He shook off the thought as he pulled out the meat, bringing it to the counter. He would start making the patties. He could take out all his pent up emotion on the hapless beef. Except he didn't really have anything pent up. He'd been angsting in bed all day over Jack. He wasn't mad at him for leaving. He wasn't particularly sad that it had ended; there wasn't a chance to grow attached to anything enough to miss it. He wasn't anything really. That was the worst part of it all. He just couldn't feel. On the other side of the coin, he felt better after his shower, so he must have been feeling something. He just didn't know what it was.

He barely paid attention as he rolled the meat into a ball in his hands and then slammed it down on the counter; one pattie after another formed. So, when a hand landed on his shoulder, he jumped as he turned, punching the intruder in the stomach.

Or, he would have, had the intruder not caught his wrist as though he were expecting it. He blinked and looked up. "Ivan? Damn, man, I nearly leapt out of my skin!"

"Ah, so you did not hear me then. It does not surprise me. You were so focused on taking your rejection out on the poor meat, after all." Alfred blinked a few times, staring silently at Ivan. Rejection, he'd said. Is that what he was feeling? No. That was bullshit. He wasn't rejected. Jack didn't reject him. Jack said he loved him! It just wouldn't work out because of how far apart they lived, that was all. He scowled, wresting his wrist back from Ivan's grasp. How could he just sit there and smile at him, like he hadn't just told him the dumbest bullshit ever?

"You know what, fuck you, Ivan. I wasn't _rejected,_ okay? It just wasn't meant to be. No one rejects me! I'm the one that rejects them. Everyone fucking loves me! I could date anyone I wanted to! I bet you're just jealous that I didn't choose you!" They did; even when he was a bit of an ass sometimes, but they didn't mind. He always made up for it, and it's not like he was ever doing it on purpose. Sometimes he just lost track of other people when he was focusing on something. How the hell was Ivan just standing there, smiling, even as Alfred was telling him off?

"It is okay to be upset, Alfred. How about if you cut the onion and I will start cooking these?" Ivan turned to the stove, motioning to where he'd set up the cutting board. He was like some kind of a jerk ninja. Alfred glared at Ivan's back before turning to the cutting board.

"I'm not upset, you ass." He started slicing into the onion, peeling off the top layer. He wasn't rejected; not by Jack, not by Natalya, not by anyone. He wasn't upset, because he wasn't rejected. He did everything to help everyone all the time. Was it too much to ask for a relationship that actually meant something? Of course Mattie would just tell him he didn't need to rush into something like that; that he didn't need someone else to complete him. Well, no shit. He knew that. It just got lonely sometimes, when everyone always seemed to have someone else. He sniffed a bit as he sliced through the onion. They always made his eyes burn. He took in a shaky breath and wiped his eyes with his wrist. He saw Ivan watching him out of the corner of his eye and brought his hand down. "I'm not upset."

Ivan didn't say anything.

Alfred wasn't sure if he wanted him to.

AN: In anticipation of any questions/comments regarding Alfred's moods/reactions: regardless of how superficial his relationship with Jack was, and whether or not he has or will acknowledge as much, he still felt very strongly for him and had his heart broken. Heartbreak is a like a loss, and you go through many emotions in dealing with that.


	30. Chapter 30

Two More Years 30

Matthew still couldn't figure out how he ended up spending his entire Saturday in the kitchen. It started off innocently enough. Ludwig and he had finally rolled out of bed around ten, and Matthew offered to make breakfast for the two of them. His roommates weren't going to wake up until well into the afternoon anyway. Or so he'd thought. It was like they had been waiting until he turned off the stove and went to join Ludwig at the dining room table with his short stack of pancakes to emerge from bed.

Which, of course, meant he had to make more.

He was finally cleaning up the dishes from breakfast now. He glanced at the clock. Noon. He had been making pancakes for two hours. That certainly explained why he hadn't wanted his own.

"Oh Matt!" Matthew jumped, turning to see Gilbert walking into the kitchen. He threw his arm over Matthew's shoulder, pulling him closer. "How's my sexy little cook doing, hm?"

Matthew rolled his eyes. "I've been better." Why had they invited him again? So far he'd bailed them out of jail because they forgot about him when they went out. Then he got left behind again last night when they'd gone out to get stuff for their party.

"What? We've been having a blast!" Gilbert's other hand punched Matthew's shoulder. Sure. iThey/i were having a blast. Matthew was beginning to think he'd have been better off listening to Al's misery all weekend. He'd have to remember to check and see if Al had turned his phone back on yet. Probably not. "Anyway. We're gonna find you a hot chick to hook up with at the party tonight."

"Okay." Matthew was sure they'd find themselves plenty in the process.

"But, since we have to run around inviting everybody and pick up the keg…we're going to need someone here to cook up the stuff we bought."

He knew it. "I suppose you want me to do it?"

Gilbert's hand clapped his back. "Wow. You're offering? You're too awesome, Matt!"

Matthew rolled his eyes, nodding. He shrugged Gilbert off him quickly as Antonio walked into the room.

"Hey, Matt. You looking forward to tonight? I wanna challenge you to a game of beer pong. We can break in the table, okay?"

Matthew nodded. "Uh, sure thing!" Great. Another night of them getting shitfaced. "Hey, you guys are going to keep your clothes on this time, right?"

Antonio laughed a bit. "At a party? Of course. Arthur isn't around for Francis to try to make jeal-" Gilbert punched Antonio's arm, cutting him off. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Whatever happened to bros before ho's? That stays quiet."

Matthew raised a brow as he listened. So the reason behind the great Francis-Arthur breakup involved Francis getting naked. How was he not surprised?

"Right. Sorry." Antonio shrugged helplessly at Matthew. Matthew rolled his eyes and turned back to the dishes. He appreciated the effort to give him the story in bits and pieces to put together himself. "Are they getting back together? It probably doesn't matter anymore anyway."

Gilbert scoffed as he pulled a soda out of the fridge, opening it. "Hell if I know. You know they get hot on each other just from fighting. They're like…fuck buddies or something now. Rivals with benefits." He took a long sip of the soda and set it on the counter. "Grab Francis and let's go. We have a lot of running around to do and Matt needs us out of the kitchen."

Matthew glanced over his shoulder as he finished washing the breakfast dishes. Antonio was watching him.

"Are you sure you're okay here by yourself, Matt?"

Before Matthew could respond, Gilbert was leading him away. "He's got this fine." Right. Just leave it all to Matthew. He's so awesome at everything when I actually need him for something. We don't need to help him. Let's just forget about him like we always do. In fact, while we're out, let's put in a catering order for later, because we're definitely going to need food and I'm going to forget about Matthew, who we left behind to do all our cooking.

"Bye! Have fun. I'll…have everything ready when you get back, I guess." What was he even supposed to make? Would it be obvious when he opened the fridge? It certainly hadn't been when he was opening it for breakfast. Fine. They'd get what he felt like making for them. He rolled his eyes as he heard the car roll out of the driveway and started pulling packages of chicken wings out of the freezer to defrost.

A glass was set on the counter behind him and Matthew jumped. He whirled around, looking at Ludwig, who was pulling out another glass to join the first. "Oh. I thought you were going to your lab partner's place to work on your project."

Ludwig glanced over. "Her sister was still asleep when I had called her, so we decided it would be best if she came here. We are taking a break now."

Matthew nodded a bit. "What do you want to drink, while I'm over here?"

Ludwig nodded. "I'll just have the juice and Katy…" He turned as someone else walked into the room. Matthew's jaw changed its address from his mouth to his feet. What was it with this school and having so many gorgeous people? First Ludwig was a knockout and now this? It was a good thing that Al wasn't here. The first thing he'd mention would be the way her shirt looked ready to burst under the constant strain of her, uh, lovely assets. He wouldn't have even noticed the pale blonde hair that looked like it would be soft to the touch; he would have missed the glimmering blue eyes and the slight pucker of her lips in a soft pout.

"Oh, Alfred! I didn't know that you knew Ludwig. I thought you were at the apartment with my brother, though. Did he kick you out so he could finish his paper?"

Sometimes, Matthew really hated his brother.


End file.
